Thread: Joseph Rodgers Wedges?

Stumbled across a matching pair of Joseph Rodgers razors on the weekend. I've never owned a wedge before, but these two look like wedges to me. Handles are either bone or horn of some description. Blades need some more heavy duty cleaning up than I've already done - I got impatient and honed them...

Anyway, I guess my question is more about wedges than anything else. The bevel I established is about 1-2mm wide (very rough guess) on each razor, which clearly means there's some sort of shoulder to edge concavity going on. Does this mean these are not technically wedges, or do all wedges have a slight hollowness?

BTW, does anyone know which UK Majesties J Rodgers & Sons held/hold the royal warrant for? Or is it an ongoing thing?

James.

PS Will post pics when I get home...

I think "true" wedges, where the whole razor is the 'bevel' so to speak, are pretty rare. I've never seen one. People commonly call 1/4 hollows 'wedges'.

There was a long thread here last year about the need for a clear and agreed-upon nomenclature, i.e. how much hollowing on the Henckels scale could you have and still call it a wedge. I can't remember what the final consensus was, though...

James,

How does it relate to in the attached chart?

John

Well, it's a bit tricky but to me they look like either I, II, or II1/2. Probably closer to a I. That's a very cool chart, thanks John.

Having said that, would an I produce a (let's say) 2mm bevel?

Dylandog - yeah, I figured there must have been some discussion around this before. Clearly I'm not a good judge of search terms...

James.

I've always found this chart kind of confusing, because it looks like the only factor is how far up the blade it's thin and flat before it starts flaring out to the spine. But I think there can be a lot of variation in the curvature of the sides, independent of what percentage of the blade is "flat" when viewed down the barrel so to speak. I have a TI that has only the slightest curvature, looks almost like a true wedge, and I have an old sheffield blade that has a good deal of convexity for example. In my mind I think of the TI as a wedge, the sheffield as a 1/4 hollow; they look and feel completely different. But on the scale they'd both be classed the same; neither has any flat part to speak of.

On the other hand, I have several fillies, and they all fit in very clearly as half-hollows, VI's on this scale.

When I get home in a couple of hours (damn this having to go to work caper) I'll post a head - on shot of one of the razors, mimicking the chart.

All I know is that these two razors are definitely way different in both look and feel to my hollows - so what's not a hollow must be a wedge, right? (probably a flaw in my logic there...).

James.

And then you find an old Sheffiled make that is listed as a "NON-XLL" and you wonder.......


Ah hell, who cares, does it shave well?

C utz

Originally Posted by C utz

And then you find an old Sheffiled make that is listed as a "NON-XLL" and you wonder.......


Ah hell, who cares, does it shave well?

C utz

Yes, yes they do! You're right, it doesn't matter. But I am curious...

OK, here are some pictures. Just remember that I'm an instant gratification sort of guy, so don't bag me out too much for not cleaning up the blades - I'll get round to it eventually, but I wanted to shave with them first!





James.

One more...



James.

Boy, Jimbo, I'm no authority, but that looks pretty 'wedgey' to me - I've got a couple similar razors - if I lay a ruler from edge to spine, I can see a small sliver of light in the concavity, but it's only a millimeter or two at the most.

...in my book, that's a wedge.

(but, then again, I'm an idiot...so factor that in!)

-whatever

-Lou