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I keep reading the de and se blades are sharper than regular straights, sometimes even "too sharp".
And now I wonder how they hone/sharpen these at their factories, and if they really are sharper than what you can accomplish at home?
Has anyone rehoned a DE/SE blade? What was the result?
DE/SE blades are disposable, it is not worth the time to try and hone them.
Bob
They are coated to achieve the sharp and, sharp can be done with a razor just smooth and sharp is what makes the difference in a straight, and what bob said their disposable ,mwhich would you want to sharpen them? Tc
But you are ignoring the fun factor.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
Because you can?? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by tcrideshd
Here's a video on YouTube showing DE blade manufacturing on How it's made
Straight razors are single edge blades, but we don't achieve the same sharpness as factory made edges with their coatings, machine stropping etc. by hand honing, and the steel in our straights are likely different from what is used in these factory made disposable blades.
While it is technically possible to rehone something like a Feather SE, replacing the coatings would be hard/expensive, and achieving the same level of sharpness without the coatings seems unlikely.
DE blades have an additional problem, honing them makes them narrower than a fresh new blade, resulting in reduced edge exposure in a safety razor, and we're still struggling with the coating issue... vapour deposition of chromium is a tad difficult to do in most home situations.
There was, years back, an internet contest on sharpening single edge box cutter blades. One person would purchase a box of cutter blades and send one to each participant for honing and then it was returned for testing in a special contraption that used a cutting media that was identical for all the blades tested, and the cutting pressure was recorded. All were compared to a stock blade. The winner on one of those competitions used an Edge Pro jig with polishing tapes. Smoothness did not figure into the contest (as in shaving), just cutting pressure. It turns out it is possible to make something sharper, sometimes, but we don't just want our razors sharp, we want them smooth and comfortable.
Regards
Christian
Use the search function and you should find a number of threads about this topic. In general, a modern coated DE blade (or SE for that matter) should not/cannot be re-honed due to the edge coatings. There are a number of devices from the early 19th century till the time they started coating blades that were made for the purpose of holding a DE while honing or stropping to extend their life. I'm sure a goodly number of these devices came into existence during the Depression when money was almost non-existent.
Years back, I am guessing pre WWII the were devices that were made specifically for stropping DE blades and some even for honing them iirc. Back then the blades were not coated so it might have been a feasible option. I have heard the people would strop them on the inside of a glass tumbler to stretch the number od shaves from a single blade.
Fast forward to now and as has been explained DE blades are made in a different way so you are not gaining anything by trying to strop or hone them.
Bob
I see I was too slow again. ;)
Very nice vid. I found a few more related ones. straights and scalpels. But somehow they always confuse tempering with hardening (austenitization) :) I guess these vids are made more for the non technical oriented people.Quote:
Originally Posted by kaptain_zero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b_nRYltQ-Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V89F7_MLKqM
btw i have actually reground box cutter blades on my sharpmaker, and they were much much more sharp off the sharpmaker than the stock ones, and these were the best ones, the olfas. not mentioning the difference between the cheap crap ones.. night and day there really.
I used to work in a place where we cut tape as masking for painting, and the substrate for the tape was glass so the point of the edges would dull quite fast.
Then there is only one thing to do. Try doing a few DE and SE blades and report the results and whether the effort was worth it. It would be interesting as very few users seem interested in trying it
Bob
I have a fair share of knowledge of coatings both metallic and plastic, like teflon/pvd/cvd/plasma nitride/carbonitride/nitrocarbide/hard chrome and so on and if anything these coatings make the edges duller and not sharper, they might last a whole lot longer though. since the coatings are like 10-100X more wear resistant. But sharper (initially)?? I kinda doubt that. After a few shaves though...Quote:
Originally Posted by Razorfeld
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
I have feeling it not worth it at all. :) but could be fun..
Can you reccomend a good safety razor and blades for me to try?
Yes, I think most people settle on a blade that is sharp enough and also smooth enough. Nobody I know likes an extremely sharp edge that is harsh for the purpose of shaving, masochists aside.Quote:
Originally Posted by jigane
You would really have to qualify what you mean by "good". Is it a certain level of built quality you are after and/or a certain level of aggressiveness? Things like that can be taken into account if you have some previous experience using a safety razor and developed some preferences.
If you have no experience with using a safety razor I would suggest an adjustable model. I say that because you can start off using a mild setting and as your skill level in shaving improves you can dial up the aggressiveness if you wish. That would save buying a number of different DEs till you find one with the level of aggressiveness you like that will give you a long lasting, close and comfortable shave.
As for blades, many places offer sample packs containing a variety of different blades. I think that is a good idea to get one of those and see which brand gives you the closest and most comfortable shave in the particular DE you are using. My favourite blade/blades my not match your choice/choices.
Unfortunately with shaving gear it is mostly a YMMV thing because we are all different. You pretty well have to try a few different soaps/creams, brushes, blades and razors to find a combination the suits you well.
Bob
the new DE blades seem to be way thinner than the old ones. i've tried the glass trick with new feathers and couldn't notice any difference. i would think using some of the old DE sharpeners wouldn't work on a new blade because of the comparative floppiness of the new blades.JMHO
Ok I'm looking for a safety razor that is made out of stainless steel and not chromed carbon steel, especially not crap copper-nickel-chrome chromed, and even hard chromes is not diffusion proof so it will rust, therefor I'd like a stainless steel one, preferably adjustable.Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
Worst case I'd choose anodized aluminum.
Any recommendations there?
Don't know of any stainless steel adjustable DE razors but that does not mean there are none out there. For an all stainless steel DE for myself I chose a Wolfman WR1-OC head with the blade gap set at 0.74mm not the standard 0.64mm gap. I already had an Ikon Bulldog stainless steel handle so I did not bother with a Wolfman handle. It suits me just fine for others I don't know.Quote:
Originally Posted by jigane
If you do a little research there are plenty of stainless steel DEs from different manufacturers to be had.
I went with Wolfman because he is in Canada and has an excellent reputation for quality work which I think is justified if the head I got is any indication. If he made a slant head I would have gone that route. Solid bar DEs I generally don't care for because I prefer an aggressive razor and most SB are not aggressive enough unless it is an adjustable or slant.
Bob
Here's a comparison of several blades. https://scienceofsharp.wordpress.com...ctured-blades/