Thread: The Real Wedge

This came up in a post by Neil Miller yesterday and he noted that a 'real wedge (not one ground with an ever so slight concave profile) must be both rare and very old. I was wondering how a person honed a true wedge as they definitely predated electricians tape, probably tape in general......any theories or facts? I can sort of see freehanding a wedge with very mixed results.....

No theories or facts, since they dont exist, unless you find a razor that predates the invention of the wheel!

So you are saying that there is no such thing as a true wedge?

Originally Posted by Martin103

No theories or facts, since they dont exist, unless you find a razor that predates the invention of the wheel!

I have a John Pitts Celebrated razor that is in fact a true wedge. You can't get to the edge without the aid of three pieces of Super 88 and if one tried to hone without it both sides of the razor, in their entirety, would contact the hone, top to down.

I am wondering if the supposed true wedges out there are the result of heavy hone wear to the spine over decades of honing and not an intentional result of grinding on a wheel at the factory. You would think using a grinding wheel would impart even a tiny amount of concavity to a blade during manufacture.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

I am wondering if the supposed true wedges out there are the result of heavy hone wear to the spine over decades of honing and not an intentional result of grinding on a wheel at the factory. You would think using a grinding wheel would impart even a tiny amount of concavity to a blade during manufacture.

Bob

But what if you had grinding wheels with an infinite radius?

Originally Posted by WW243

So you are saying that there is no such thing as a true wedge?

A true wedge would be a perfect V from spine to the very bottom of the cutting edge.

Yes I understand that and that is exactly why I called it a true wedge to distinguish it from a wedge as most of us know it. Just to clarify you are saying that all straight razors were produced with the aid of grinding wheels? And if there is a true wedge it predates the wheel, say the 4th millennium BC?

Originally Posted by Martin103

A true wedge would be a perfect V from spine to the very bottom of the cutting edge.

There is certainly evidence that razors were made using grinding wheels going way back.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...-hollowed.html

Originally Posted by Martin103

A true wedge would be a perfect V from spine to the very bottom of the cutting edge.

It is a non starter. They didn't make square wheels and they didn't make true wedges to shave with. AFAIC.