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Hi,
I have ordered a NOS Friodur 7/8, but have done some searching am getting mixed messages about the steel and honing. I thought the Friodur steel was very hard, but I have also seen it said that it is soft. Hints on honing this thing are also welcome, as I saw someone say that taping the spine with three layers is optimal, whereas someone else said that no tape was best!
I imagine that things will be clearer once I have it in my hands, so I can get a feel for it.
Thanks :)
Hi,
The thread you're refering to is very helpful. I've tried no tape, one layer, & now three. I got good edges with each, but with three i found that the edge remains, rather than breaking down.
I also found that once i'd established the bevel, going to the BBW with slurry, then without & finally jumping straight on to a thuringian with slurry & then without worked well. I didn't polish it too much.
You can adapt that depending what stones you have.
There were a few conflicting ideas in the thread, so i guess they can be a bit individual & you'll have to find what works with yours!
Read a little about these Friodurs... are they particularly good shavers? Where do you get them NOS?
I ordered mine on ebay from open-razor - Straight razor Zwilling Henckels Friodur 7/8 NOS on eBay, also, Golenie i depilacja, Pozostałe, Kosmetyki i Perfumy (end time 11-Feb-09 21:02:29 GMT)
Thanks for the advice. I was thinking of heading straight for 3 layers of tape, to the BBW, and then onto the Coticule with only water. Not sure if I like the scales in the picture, so I might get it rescaled with something nice as well.
That sounds like it'd work. Give it a try. They're better scales than mine came with, but they're probably still awful! Mine didn't centre properly & was in danger of catching when closing too, so they went!
I had a 7/8 that I gave to my best friend, Eli, for Christmas.
I found it very easy to hone, and that it was a fabulous shaver!
I used one layer of electrical tape on the spine. Established the bevel with a DMT, 1200 grit, D8E. The bevel was no problem, easy and fast. I took the razor through a series of my Shaptons on glass stones: 4K, 8K, and 16K - all were done quick with no problems. Each stone was 25 to 60 laps. I then finished with 100 laps (my minimum) on my Nakayama Japanese finishing hone.
This produced one of the best shaving razors I have ever used. I own a lot of great razors. I could join about 99% of all the razor clubs here at SRP (I don't have a Japanese razor). I also own a Maestro Levi and a Robert Williams; and both of these give unbelievable shaves. What I am saying here is that the Friodur gave me a shave that was comperable to most of my best shavers.
Before I bought the Friodur I had read that stainless (INOX) razors were a bit more difficult and took longer to hone. I did not find that at all. I found it honed up very easily!
I bought it from John Crowley at ShavingShop.com.
Regards,
Steve
The 7/8 Friodurs I had were a pain to hone. They didn't like the synthetic stones. I had to use naturals. The edge would constantly crumble, micro chip if not being careful. Same like Ben experienced.
It seems there is a lot of variations going on with those Friodurs as some have had no problems whatsoever. I finally managed after lots of trials but basically I stopped after the Escher.
Could well be the ones I had came from the same source as many others have been complaining about the exact same problems.
To be honest, i think they're seconds, but worth every penny. Things like the stamping isn't quite perfect, or there's a couple of odd grind marks where there shouldn't be. It may be that the grind itself isn't up to scratch (:rofl2:)
They're still fantastic, & i may be wrong. I just think that back when they were made the company decided it could do better.
Once you've found how your's likes to be honed you'll love it!
I would tape it just because of the value! Keep it looking NOS ...if your not sure about honing it send it out whats a few more at this stage to keep it lookig NOS. There top shelf shavers and that ones a purdy one.
How about this one? Seen it for $100. 6/8 "almost wedge" (1/4 hollow?)
http://666kb.com/i/b5z3cofkf2qnq3516.jpg
i don't think those are original Friodurs, because the scales are not original. My Friodurs have the Dancing Twins logo.
I believe that they are original, they were just stashed & forgotten, or maybe taken home by an employee. They've got the twins on them. You can see below that the stamping's not really up to standard, though i'm sure it's genuine, & the finish isn't to a high standard.
I'm fairly confident they're the real thing though. They've been through the hands of too many here who are familiar enough & have enough knowledge of Friodurs. They would have concluded this already.
Yeah, I am starting to wonder if I shouldn't just send it out instead, to make sure it's done properly. I certainly think that I want it to be taped, as the spine seems to be ground to an angle, which I think will wear pretty quickly on a hone, and I like that shape. If the spine was round, I might not bother with the tape, as I think the hone wear actually adds to the character of a blade in most cases.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vashaver
Nice blade! Is that Friodur (INOX)? I deliberately wanted an INOX blade, which is why I stumped for the one I linked.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cornelius
I reckon that someone came across a stash of ground razors (seconds) without scales, which they have rescaled in whatever scales they had to hand, which would explain the scales being non-henckels.Quote:
Originally Posted by cotdt
Thanks for your replies everyone :)
Yes, the scales are not original, but the blades are. my understanding is these are old blanks that get paired nowadays to whatever scales they find.Quote:
Originally Posted by cotdt
The one I honed was relatively easy to do, but it had microchipping that I took away on the coticule. I believe I finished it on Escher, one of the best razors.
ben.mid, your picture is precisely why I have some doubts about these Friodurs. my Friodur has a much nicer stamp and the logos are in red. The polish on my Friodur is also much nicer mirror polish. Are we sure that these are not discarded Friodur blades from not passing final inspection?
cotdt, I misunderstood you post before. You're right. No twins on the scales. They're just any old stuff so that they can be turned around quickly. Also, got to agree, I believe these are discarded Friodur blades which didn't pass final inspection, but they are Friodurs in my opinion. They just weren't good enough for a high end company like Henckels. Now Henckels no longer produce straights they are in demand.
No, but I have a SS Friodur (with ugly scales) as well. 7/8.Quote:
Originally Posted by darrensandford
This is a original Zwilling blade. But not a Friodur. The steel is a carbon steel. I think, this blade is much more older, than the usual Friodurs. The handle is a newer custom work, perhaps african wenge wood.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cornelius
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cornelius
That is a gorgeous razor.
I love the lines on that blade....wow.
Yeah, very sleek. More yacht than razor - I do like it :)Quote:
Originally Posted by JimR
I look at the Friodur steel as more a tough steel. They are not that much a problem to hone and I really never use tape unless I am honing out chips, etc. I've honed several hundred of them without problems.
These razors are also very nice shavers.
Lynn
Well, it arrived. I don't have pictures at the moment, but it looks good.
I do think it was a second - it came with some hone wear, which was not even on one side ( larger flat area in the centre on one side ), suggesting maybe that the grind was off? Also, some of the scratches on the spine where the edge was scalloped haven't been polished out. Nothing is hugely misaligned though, which is good.
I also found it tricky to get the hone to contact the heel on the return stroke, so I gave it a little roll, even though the blade is mostly a straight edge. Does that seem reasonable? It has taken a nice sharp edge though. ATG on my top lip was a breeze!
The bevel wasn't set at the same angle as the hone wear, which seemed odd. I didn't tape, instead I took it to the 1000 grit Norton to re-set the bevel, then to the 4000 for a few strokes, and then onto the BBW with slurry then coticule with water.
The scales are obviously not original or matched to the blade. The wedge sticks out on one side, and they aren't really deep enough at all for the blade - when closed, the heel is almost level with the bottom of the scales, which seems a little dangerous to me. They aren't the same as in the picture, suggesting they are whatever was to hand.
I am finding stropping harder, I think because the spine is wider than I am used to, meaning that I need to re-learn to rotate the blade further to get the edge to contact the strop.
I am happy though. It feels stiffer than my old Bismarck 5/8, and the bigger blade seems to suit me.
Sounds like the blade may have a slight warp. It is not uncommon. Lay the blade flat on the hone. If warped one side will rock from toe to heel and the other side sill show light through the middle. With blades like this I hone on the edge of the stone in an x pattern. Be sure to use an extra light touch if going this way and be sure your hone has a good bevel on the corners.
Thanks - I will have another look later and do what you suggested to see where the blade is going.