Thread: Variable Spine Thickness

It is a Western Japanese razor and I asked the seller if the price was firm and he knocked $50.00 of immediately (then charged me for shipping from Japan which was free with the higher end razors). I liked the razor a lot, short blade, heavy spine, I even liked the cheesy scales with the sub par pinning. In another post I mentioned the difficulty honing this razor, one I had to walk away from and come back to. I did get the kind of bevel I wanted finally and have a sweet shaving razor. So why am I here? I got a battery for my Vernier calipers and made 6 measurements on the spine and this is what they are, from toe to heel in mm: 6.72, 6.67, 6.59, 6.54, 6.56, and 6.66.
I'm just wondering if anyone does this kind of thing and if they do are these results typical? And are better quality razors more consistent in the width of the spine from toe to heel?

Pictures so we know what razor you are talking about.

Great question. Never thought of measuring the spine to actually see how bad the hone wear or manufacturing tolerances are. Curious to see what people have to say.

So while I did struggle to get the bevel even, the hone wear (no tape) looks shabby. It is really an aesthetic thing but one which I do not want to repeat.

Yes it is rather common to have variances in the spine width..

HOWEVER

It should be even ie: an even angle from point to shoulder, a rippled spine like you have measured isn't as common and can be from grinding or from past honing..

To be honest 1 layer of tape should mask any issues with this, if it were mine and it really bugged me I would buff it once through and even it up as well as possible, eliminating all the old spine wear, then use tape from then on...

Well, the razor was NOS when I received it. To get an acceptable bevel and on up through the hones, I had to do things I've never done before with a razor on a hone many of which I don't recommend for anyone, which included a triple salchow, a J stroke, a half gainer and an off hand 180 with a reverse flip. Won't be any buffing here, I have sort of an Amish set up for tending my blades.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Yes it is rather common to have variances in the spine width..

HOWEVER

It should be even ie: an even angle from point to shoulder, a rippled spine like you have measured isn't as common and can be from grinding or from past honing..

To be honest 1 layer of tape should mask any issues with this, if it were mine and it really bugged me I would buff it once through and even it up as well as possible, eliminating all the old spine wear, then use tape from then on...

When I was an ironworker, erecting structural steel, one of the sayings the old timer's used to speak if a new guy wanted to take too long doing something was, "We ain't building a watch." I guess the razor factories, if they are anything like factories I worked in as a teenager, where it is paid by piece work, not by the hour, have the same philosophy. Not saying it is 'right' just might be how it is.

I have had razors with variable spine thickness. I measure to see how many layers of tape I need or not as that measurement is one to be plugged into an equation to determine bevel angle. I just average the readings out and go with that, so far no problems. Yes, on a lot of razors I have to do gymnastics while honing because of flaws in the razor. Anything with a lot of handwork in it's manufacture will not be perfectly consistent.

Bob

The two I heard in heavy construction were: We ain't building a piano, and we ain't building the Taj Mahal.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

When I was an ironworker, erecting structural steel, one of the sayings the old timer's used to speak if a new guy wanted to take too long doing something was, "We ain't building a watch." I guess the razor factories, if they are anything like factories I worked in as a teenager, where it is paid by piece work, not by the hour, have the same philosophy. Not saying it is 'right' just might be how it is.

Originally Posted by WW243

The two I heard in heavy construction were: We ain't building a piano, and we ain't building the Taj Mahal.

First union ironwork job I had the guy said, "All I want to see is assh*les and elbows." The company motto was "If you can't do it, you can't stay."