Thread: Resting the blade.

Originally Posted by Shangas

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Had another excellent shave with this razor this morning and it's doing very well.

Still...I might like to get a seven-piece straight-set...one day.

I here you. It would be really nice to have a weekly rotation with a super, special one for those important days. That means 8 str8s! Need to start saving my pennies and dimes like the old Beach Boys' song 409. "Giddy up, giddy up, 409!"

I noticed how you said the razor you didn't use for two weeks was a better cutter.

This makes me think that you might have to work on your stropping and shave technique. That way your not damaging the edge making the razor shave ready for longer n

Originally Posted by Shangas

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Had another excellent shave with this razor this morning and it's doing very well.

Still...I might like to get a seven-piece straight-set...one day.

In the meantime you can just get seven* different razors!

* actual amount of razors to acquire is likely to increase continually

Originally Posted by borebrush

The reasoning behind this is that resting a razor allows the microscopic teeth on the end of the blade to realign themselves naturally

In order to move, steel or any other metal needs force or temperature change to be applied to it.
Unless of course your name is Uri Geller.

Originally Posted by Firedug

I use the "Resting the blade" theory to justify my RAD to the misses.Works so far

I'm working on convincing my wife that razors need about six months of rest between uses...

The fact is that razors don't need "rest" time, just a marketing ploy as mentioned previously...however you can "pretend" that the steel must rest (after a few strokes on the strop to clean the micro-crud from the edge) and justify a few more razors. It's also nice to have a few extra razors so that once one needs touch-up you can wait until you have a few to hone at once. For me, I hate to hone just one razor, the cleanup takes more time than the actual honing...

Originally Posted by shooter74743

For me, I hate to hone just one razor, the cleanup takes more time than the actual honing...

speaking right from my heart, right there.

btw, i believe that 'razors need resting' thing is a marketing ploy as well... as if the iron atoms needed at least 24 hours to 'rearrange'... ever wondered why we strop our razors? to rearrange the iron atoms, yes.

I don't know about my razor, but I know I sure need a rest regularly!

if razors need resting then knives would too,but they don't that's what butcher steels are for and razors don't cut what knives do,it's a great excuse to own seven razors just like i own several of the same knives but i am really curious as to how the whole resting to allow the edge to straighten thing got started and how it keps popping up,i've come across it quite regulary on the net and some refferences date back to the 19th centuary and i've wondered if it was because of the real early steel used back then

Originally Posted by Alucard73

if razors need resting then knives would too,but they don't that's what butcher steels are for and razors don't cut what knives do,it's a great excuse to own seven razors just like i own several of the same knives but i am really curious as to how the whole resting to allow the edge to straighten thing got started and how it keps popping up,i've come across it quite regulary on the net and some refferences date back to the 19th centuary and i've wondered if it was because of the real early steel used back then

If we are talking about most butcher work, then I must disagree. As long as a butcher doesn't get into a bone, their media (meat) that they are cutting is much softer than what a razor has to deal with. The common facial hair of a man has the similar toughness of a pure copper wire the same diameter. That is actually quite amazing considering all of the hairs a razor mows down in one shaving....straights are some pretty tough blades. As far as the resting theory...what did a barber do then?

Carbon steel doesn't need to "rest", unless you are justifying your RAD to the significant other...that's the only time I would agree this point.