Thread: Different Grinds

I Was Wondering If Anybody Could Explain To Me What A 1/4 Hollow Full Hollow And A Wedge Is, And How You Can Tell The Difference. I Think I Have A wedge It lays almost Flat From Edge To Spine Thanks Michael.

Here you go:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...ths_and_grinds

The Wiki is great

I've wandered this also.
From what I've read I think a full hollow is one true arc geometricaly speaking.
Where two or more different arcs/radii are blended together in the hollow I think the number designates the transition point of the blend in terms of distance from edge.
This is my best understanding to date, I'm sure others will know the correct definition if I'm not entirley correct.

This is a loose definition. Wedge is a true wedge- triangular cross section. (Chart: I) To some 1/4 hollow is basically a wedge, with a tiny hollow, to others, it is more hollowed. (Chart: II through IV) Half hollow is more hollowed but still quite wedge like (Chart: IV through VI), full hollow can mean anything from hollow to the point where the grind arc's are tangent to a singing hollow (the whole top row of the chart). Then there are extra hollow grounds, double hollow grounds, etc. Take it with a grain of salt because as the diagram shows there are many more degrees of hollow than just those three.

What are the pro's and cons of the different grinds as far as shaving/honing go? When buying ebay specials are certain grinds or shoulder/stabilizer styles more or less likely to have problems because of their styles? Are certain grinds/styles good for newbies to avoid till later in their shaving/honing careers? Thanks in advance for your time.

the more hollow, the easier to hone. Also the more hollow usually the more flexible (stabilisers can stiffen it obviously). The wedgier the stiffer, always. Depends on beard type/preference. To me I like full hollows because they are easier to deal with and keep wicked sharp (and they are lighter). In small blades (4/8s) I like wedges. Same reason. There are a lot of factors. I think a good place to start is 6/8 round point in half hollow- you can go either bigger (7/8, 88) or smaller (5/8, 4/8), or to a wedgier grind or a hollower grind. But its really up to you. Maybe someone far more experienced will give more definite advice. I think gssixgun typically gives similar advice (6/8 rp half follow)

Originally Posted by Otto

Here you go:
The straight razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

The Wiki is great

Good info thanks.

In Straight Razor Place Wiki there is a text explaining the terms used in relation to razors. See "The straight razor". Under the headline "Basic straight razor anatomy" it tells about "The Ridge". The last sentence says "If the ridge is close to the edge, it is called =BC hollow ground, the lowest grade of hollow ground; if it is close to the back, it is called 1/1 or full hollow ground; =BD and =BE are in-between".

What do the abbreviations BC, BD and BE mean?

Originally Posted by strtman

What do the abbreviations BC, BD and BE mean?

They stand for fractions. That should have been corrected when that information was borrowed from this page Razor Sharpening Tips - KnifeCenter.com The razor sharpening tips page simply didn't render the BC, BC, and BE correctly. Those correspond to URL notations as below (taken from http://www.w3schools.com/tags/ref_urlencode.asp )

=BC is ¼
=BD is ½
=BE is ¾

It should be correctly displayed in the Wiki now under the basic straight razor anatomy section of the straight razor page. I am surprised I have not heard anyone ask about those before!

Thank you for this response.

I just checked http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi..._razor_anatomy. The information is now explicit.

Due to your explanation another request arises. If I look at the sketch of the straight on http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi..._razor_anatomy the drawing is small and quite unclear.

Can you put a drawing on the SRP web page which is as large and clear as the one shown on http://www.knifecenter.com/info/razo...aign=affiliate ?