Thread: skinny straights

I picked up a skinny razor from ebay. had a bad frown, honed that out. now on to getting it shave ready and trying it out. as it is right now it is 7/16" wide and 2-3/4" long. I'd say it was built this way (skinny) rather than being the result of a zillion honings of a wide razor. the spine is thin- .130" at the tip- and the stiffener is proportionate. it does show hone wear as well as that frown, but otherwise is in good working condition. oh, and there is no writing or logo on it anywhere. this is a pic from the ebay auction:


anybody here have any experience with skinny straights that they would like to share?


I'm still trying to figure out what will work best for me. I often have problems with detail areas- around the mouth, the dimple below the chin and so on. most of my razors are pretty hollow ground and pretty much medium width. I really like my crown extra hollow.... I'm in the process of acquiring a few razors more on the fringes of razor geometry, just to see if I like them. in pursuit of this, I'm looking for a very wide razor, a full wedge, maybe a shorty.... any other configurations I should be looking for? how about combinations of the above- a narrow full wedge, for instance, or an extra hollow shorty. wide full wedge choppers seem to go for a lot of money, but if I can get my hands on one for a decent price I'd like to try that, too.

---snipperoo--

I use the skinny blades when I want to dismember a strop. 'Always the skinny blades.

When I hone and strop skinny (4/8) blades, I do slowly, deliberately and carefully. I strop them on a bench strop to make sure they stay flat on the leather.

Jerry

All I ever use... well 97% of the time I use nothing but 4/8's or under. Love them. They don't have the weight so they are a little less forgiving than the larger blades. Never, and I mean never tug with one if you hit resistance lol.

As for stropping - the beginning was a nightmare. I have bought more strops than I ever should have but now - I have to focus if I want to strop slowly. It's nothing experience can't handle. I doubt that would have been any different were I to have pursued 7/8's.

With respect to the nimbleness in those tough area's you mentioned; well that's why I became fond of the "thin" blades to begin with. Moreover, I find the thin ones way more manageable if i want a fast shave. That said - I think it's just a function of my being used to them. But all said and done, I think size now that I have been doing this for a while, is something I really don't need to stress over any more. I mean I doubt I would have any problems wielding a 1" were I to own one.

Originally Posted by earcutter

All I ever use... well 97% of the time I use nothing but 4/8's or under. Love them. They don't have the weight so they are a little less forgiving than the larger blades. Never, and I mean never tug with one if you hit resistance lol.

As for stropping - the beginning was a nightmare. I have bought more strops than I ever should have but now - I have to focus if I want to strop slowly. It's nothing experience can't handle. I doubt that would have been any different were I to have pursued 7/8's.

With respect to the nimbleness in those tough area's you mentioned; well that's why I became fond of the "thin" blades to begin with. Moreover, I find the thin ones way more manageable if i want a fast shave. That said - I think it's just a function of my being used to them. But all said and done, I think size now that I have been doing this for a while, is something I really don't need to stress over any more. I mean I doubt I would have any problems wielding a 1" were I to own one.

I agree with the great manageability of skinny blades. I have 2 that are probably 3/8ths, and 1 that is 4/8ths, all from about a 1900-1910 vintage, must have been popular during that period, because they don't have any appreciable hone-wear. I really like the maneuverability around the upper lip. I have a 7/8ths Robert Williams that I have gotten into some trouble with, but my razors that are 5/8ths or smaller (all of which are full-hollow) have not given me a problem since I became proficient enough to make it through a whole 2-pass shave incident free. The big chopper styles, on the other hand, I am still getting used to...

the second skinny razor came in:


it's about 3/8 at the toe, 4/8 at the heel.

Originally Posted by bridger

I picked up a skinny razor from ebay. had a bad frown, honed that out. now on to getting it shave ready and trying it out. as it is right now it is 7/16" wide and 2-3/4" long. I'd say it was built this way (skinny) rather than being the result of a zillion honings of a wide razor. the spine is thin- .130" at the tip- and the stiffener is proportionate. it does show hone wear as well as that frown, but otherwise is in good working condition. oh, and there is no writing or logo on it anywhere. this is a pic from the ebay auction:
link not so good...


here's my photo:

anybody here have any experience with skinny straights that they would like to share?


I'm still trying to figure out what will work best for me. I often have problems with detail areas- around the mouth, the dimple below the chin and so on. most of my razors are pretty hollow ground and pretty much medium width. I really like my crown extra hollow.... I'm in the process of acquiring a few razors more on the fringes of razor geometry, just to see if I like them. in pursuit of this, I'm looking for a very wide razor, a full wedge, maybe a shorty.... any other configurations I should be looking for? how about combinations of the above- a narrow full wedge, for instance, or an extra hollow shorty. wide full wedge choppers seem to go for a lot of money, but if I can get my hands on one for a decent price I'd like to try that, too.

---snipperoo--

I added a picture I took.

I got a HSB our very best from eBay, which now honed is probably about 4/8. I was advised that it would be more difficult to use than my wider blades, and it seems to be the case, however was also advised that it would be good as a trimmer, for tidying goatees etc, as I don't have one I couldn't say.

I keep a narrow (3/8th-ish) to touch up spots that I may have trouble getting with whatever bigger razor I am currently using (especially right at the nostrils and directly under bottom lip). I just bring it along with the 'razor of the day' Don't always need it, but it's always there

Chris