Thread: Is my near-wedge a near-wedge?

I recently purchased a 7/8 Wacker "Keilschliff" near-wedge razor from John Crowley at shavingshop.com (with whom, by the way, it was a pleasure doing business). It's a great razor. It feels terrific in the hand, shaves beautifully and is generally a delight. But something has been bothering me. For a near-wedge, it seems awfully far from, well, a wedge. At least in my eyes. I'd love an opinion from you fine gentlemen. Does this look like it falls into the category of near-wedge to you? Unlike some of the other Wacker Keilschliff razors I've seen, it doesn't say "Keilschliff" anywhere on the blade. It does say "Stosser" on the back of the tang. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the grind, however.

Thanks much for your learned insights!





(Sorry for the upside-down photo. I can't seem to orient it properly.)

Based on your photos it looks like a half hollow. A near wedge would have a thicker look closer to the edge.

Yup - half-hollow, very nice, middle of the road, lots of horsepower yet good handling...

Originally Posted by Phrank

Yup - half-hollow, very nice, middle of the road, lots of horsepower yet good handling...

No cup holders though.

It's a nice razor, but it's leaving me wondering whether I need to get a true wedge.... This is the type of thing that keeps me up at night.

Well, THAT answer is simple enough. of COURSE you need a wedgier wedge. you also need a more hollow hollow. and you need both of them in sets of Round Point, Square Point, and Spanish Point.

Originally Posted by Magpie

Well, THAT answer is simple enough. of COURSE you need a wedgier wedge. you also need a more hollow hollow. and you need both of them in sets of Round Point, Square Point, and Spanish Point.

My wife might disagree. For some reason, she thinks nobody needs more than one razor.

Originally Posted by CtwoHsix0h

No cup holders though.

It's a nice razor, but it's leaving me wondering whether I need to get a true wedge.... This is the type of thing that keeps me up at night.

You will be looking for a while, they don't exist. Grinding wheels are cylindrical, so all razors have concavity unless you hone the whole thing flat yourself on a stone.

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

You will be looking for a while, they don't exist. Grinding wheels are cylindrical, so all razors have concavity unless you hone the whole thing flat yourself on a stone.

A little concavity, yes. But I'm not convinced a 1/2-hollow really counts as a near-wedge. I've certainly seen pictures of far wedgier wedges, which leads me to believe that it won't be quite like searching for Bigfoot.

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

You will be looking for a while, they don't exist. Grinding wheels are cylindrical, so all razors have concavity unless you hone the whole thing flat yourself on a stone.

They do exist.

1. Loads of frameback blades are ground to be wedge like, especially swedish ones.

2. 'Rattlers are ground on the bottom section with the grinding wheel parallel to the spine, so the the bit below the hollow section under the shoulder of the spine is a true wedge shape, with no hollow whatsoever'.

Half rattlers - as above.

3. The classic Tuckmar "Tee" is ground with the the grinding blade parallel to the spine - no hollow to this one! It is a true wedge.

Thats a whole lot more wedges than "...they dont exist..." I am sure you will agree. The wedge shaped sides have been kept, but the honing angle has been ameliorated by using a spine atop it. Still all wedge-type blades, though.

I am not altogether sure that a wedge without the spine does not exist either. It takes but a fraction of a second to turn the blade round so it is ground with no hollow at all. Men, no matter what age they inhabited, have always been the most resourceful of the beasts, so why wouldn't they have turned out wedges?

Citing that grinding wheels are cylindrical is a bit short sighted and slightly nonsensical, as any point touching tangentially across the width of the wheel will be at an angle of 90 degrees to the centre and therefore straight as you like with no evidence of hollowing whatsoever.

In the end event none of us were there at the time and the blades that have come down to us from long ago have been reworked - eg hollow ground.

One other thing to ponder - no crazy no-use-at-all guesses allowed - Wade & Butcher blades sold as blanks with the legend "for concaving" on the tang. Straight (ie wedge) sides that needed hollow grinding? I don't think anyone knows for definite (definite meaning beyond all doubt, supported by documentary evidence).

Regards,
Neil

Keep in mind that a "modern" wedge style razor would be closer to a 1/4 hollow Its not such a big stretch to call consider that a near wedge if you compare it to an extra hollow singing blade.
An old W&B Hollow Ground is a wedge when compared to singer too. Its all relative.

Not that it answers your question, but I[m bored and felt like saying something.