Thread: Ordered a NOS Friodur

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

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.