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Thread: Shaving with a smiley?

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    Default Shaving with a smiley?

    It seems that it needs a bit of a different style. It's a large Frederick Reynolds, that I recently honed. It is sharp, created a great shave for me.

    There is just something in the technique that I am missing. Is this correct? Do I need to using a slight scything motion to gain maximum use of the full blade?

    and did the pick come up this time?
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    Senior Member bongo's Avatar
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    Very nice blade !!
    Name:  nice blade.png
Views: 350
Size:  287.3 KB
    Geezer and Substance like this.
    http://straightrazorplace.com/workshop/18504-welcome-workshop-how-do-i-where-do-i-what-do-i-answers-here.html

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    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    Thats a very nice razor, I agree!

    I would say that smiling profiles are easier to shave with - a lot of people say this. In fact. a lot of the early barber manuals show how to make a straight edge into a slightly smiling edge, to ease the process of shaving.

    I don't think that you need any elaborate re-jigging of your shave technique, although I would tend to agree that each blade needs some little refinement in how you use it to get the best out of it, a smiler should be easier to use and a doddle to shave with.

    Regards,
    Neil
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  4. #4
    MJC
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    +1 to Neil's comments.
    I find a well prepped Smiling edge to be easier shave with as a rule.
    For me they are at there best when shaving those swirling patterns that occur on the side of my neck.

    Smooth shaving...
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    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    I have a few smilers and as I understand it, the purpose is to not have to use scything motion but use a straight stroke while achieving the slicing action from the curve of the blade. Much like a curved sword, Ax edge or skewed chisels and plane blades where the curved or angled edge slices/shears the medium, instead of plow cutting or hacking.

    It does work for wood and difficult grain, so in theory it should work for a razor. Actually I believe most probably they were popular then, for much the same reason they are popular now… they look Cool.

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    ace
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    I much prefer smiling edges to straight ones. I find truly straight edges to be less forgiving in shaving and in honing. I don't have to worry as much about my technique with a smiling blade as I do with the really straight ones.

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    Euclid, that makes sense. I never really thought about it that way.
    Thanks for turning the pic right side up. This was an as is $20 score at the antique store. It was a great shave, I'll do it again tomorrow. I will just keep scraping away.
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    Senior Member kratos86's Avatar
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    very good price for a fantastic blade...
    "Consider well the seed that gave your birth: you were not made to lives as brutes,but to following virtue and knoweledge"
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    I have one like yours and it is a great shaver. Probably #2 or #3 of my rotation.

    +1 to Neil and Ace. Each blade has its own geometry and theology. I like a smile on a blade.

    Dave
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    Senior Member ncraigtrn's Avatar
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    I got a smiley today and honed it and shaved with it. Definitely a smoother shave for my face. Accomplished a 3 pass smoothness in two passes. Mine is a George wostenholm 9/8 celebrated IXL
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