Thread: Singing Razors

I haven't seen much conversation in years about singing razors. Do you have one? The grinds are fine enough you hear the blade cutting whiskers. This Engels razor isn't particularly special, expensive or rare. It does however, 'sing' when you shave with it.

Yes, I have a few. A singing razor is probably the epitome of the grinders art. Not everyone can grind a razor so fine to produce that singing quality.

Bob

Yea, me too. Just off hand the Dovo Bergischer Lowe comes to mind as a singing razor.

Originally Posted by Firebox

I haven't seen much conversation in years about singing razors. Do you have one? The grinds are fine enough you hear the blade cutting whiskers. This Engels razor isn't particularly special, expensive or rare. It does however, 'sing' when you shave with it.

I have exactly the same rasor and I love it. Not my best shaver though.

I too have a few. The one that comes to mind and is one of my best shavers is this Henry Sears and Son Queen 7/8 #740

Originally Posted by BobH

Yes, I have a few. A singing razor is probably the epitome of the grinders art. Not everyone can grind a razor so fine to produce that singing quality.

Bob

Indeed - this is one of the most challenging parts in grinding a razor. Most important here is grinding the hollow to a maximum point. But you must keep in mind the following steps, means what we call "Pliesten" -rough polishing with wheels glued with emery and final polishing. Especially the rough polishing takes away material. So the sound after grinding is not the final sound. And if you go one step too far - its over. Means the razor than becomes a somehow tinny sound. Solingen razor grinders call this "klatschen" - clapping.To find the right thickness of the hollow during grinding takes you years in experience.

Second the the form and thickness of the belly is an important criteria for the sound. If the belly isn't rounded well to a thin, perfect convex form all the way down to the edge, the sound isn't clear.

Werner Breidenbach is absolutely perfect in making singing razors. At his time for Paul Drees he worked mostly for the italien market. And the whoelsalers in Italy often put a tuning fork to their orders. The fork was tuned in "f" and all razors had to sound in this tone....
Only a very small number of razor grinders had been able to make those razors, number for number in thousands of pieces.

Stay shap
Peter

I have a few, my Globusmen #11 is the best grinding I've ever seen.

Robeson 2525 sings sweet melodies every time I use it

Anyone else think it sounds more like Velcro peeling?

More like scraping burnt toast.