Thread: Nicks and Notches

I am about my fifth 'clumsy' drop into shaving, and I've learned a few things (NEVER shave nekkid) the most suprising thing is that a notched blade shaves fine. My 'starter' razor has 3 or 4 very distinct 'dinks' in it. The first time I 'dinked' it against the sink side, I went down to 140 grit and erased the flaw. Fine.

On the following divots, I was lazy and worked it for a bit on the binsui then worked up. What I've found it that the razor shaves just fine with these visible notches in the blade. What's surprising to me is that even I intentionally shave with the notched area, I can't feel the imperfection. Nor does it leave a path of unshaved hair.

As a newbie, I'm curious if you have any pictures of the notches that do not cause you any problems?

Originally Posted by jgjgjg

Nor does it leave a path of unshaved hair.

I believe you all the way up until here... If the blade edge is not sharpened, then it will not shave.

Originally Posted by OKAllen

As a newbie, I'm curious if you have any pictures of the notches that do not cause you any problems?

I'll see if I can get that close with a camera.

Originally Posted by TwistedOak

I believe you all the way up until here... If the blade edge is not sharpened, then it will not shave.

It probably has something to do with the fact that my beard is less dense in the morning than, say, the grass on summer lawn. So with one pass, I don't NOTICE an unshaved track. However, at the point of a single pass my face far from the mirror, still slick with moisture, I scrub a bit which means that exact spot on the blade is moving all over.

The final inspection-by-feel doesn't occur until the end, after a few passes. So your logic is correct, as is my experience that the nicks are just not making a difference. Now, if I nick the blade and keep shaving without so much as a linen stropping, then yeah, that's unpleasant.

The last time we had a member who said his shave wasn't affected in the least by a series of nicks in the blade was...hmmm now what was his name...oh yes it was Freddy Kruger.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

The last time we had a member who said his shave wasn't affected in the least by a series of nicks in the blade was...hmmm now what was his name...oh yes it was Freddy Kruger.

Not, that was me

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Not, that was me

Even out the spacing on those and you might salvage a comb!

Originally Posted by Splashone

Even out the spacing on those and you might salvage a comb!

Or bread knife the heck out of it to make a lovely letter opener, small pile of steel shaving or a beautiful corn razor.

Gee Pixy you must have a tough beard to do that to a fine razor like that.