SE wedge razor users say hello

[Blade4vor]

OK, so, from reading this thread:

A. I get the feeling my pockets are going to get much lighter in 2016.
B. The price range for wedges just went up on eBay.

Absolutely gorgeous razors, gentlemen! I've tried in the past to make an acquisition of one of these beautiful shaving instruments, but it has not been in the cards for me, yet. Be it luck or more money, maybe in 2016....

subscribed to thread!

 

[Blade4vor]

...and, now just pulled the trigger on a Rolls Imperial No.2. It looks good in the pictures, but I guess I'll see next week when it arrives!

Thank you all once again for helping me to dig ever deeper into this shaving adventure! I have been having an exceptionally good time on the SE side of things, it seems.

 

[Haiku]

Guys, what a great thread! Thank you all for taking the time to post your pictures and experiences.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Injector blade..

DE Blade..

Hollow ground blade..

Just thought I would throw this up out of interest...These photos are hardly scientific & of course there are changes in the light...I put these up just to show that the edge of a sharpened Hollow ground is almost invisible even to a modern camera lens...Check out the natural curvature of that edge...Its more of a natural edge and its obviously not coated with anything...It just seems to disappear into nothingness..

Billy

 

[spidey9]

While we're at it. let's take a closer look. How close? How about 200X?

Injector blade (Schick Super Chromium to be exact):



Here is a Personna Lab Blue DE blade:



Here is a new C. V. Heljestrand wedge (actually hollow-ground) blade:



Of course, the C. V. Heljestrand and other blades of that type are meant to be honed. After being honed a few times a secondary bevel is formed:



All of these images were taken with an inexpensive digital microscope that I found on ebay. It is a great way to waste time.

--Bob

 

[labrax]

Nice photos of the different edges with microscope. I have a 60-100x handheld on the way - less than $6 with shipping.

Does this one go through PC/Laptop so you can grab screenshots?

 

[spidey9]

Yes, has a USB connection. The PC sees it like a webcam.



Around $15 IIRC.

--Bob

 

[labrax]

Thank you Bob for the confirmation and the picture of your setup.

 

[Blade4vor]

Yes, has a USB connection. The PC sees it like a webcam.

View attachment 628883

Around $15 IIRC.

--Bob

Thanks for the info and great pictures, Bob!

 

[ctjed]

Up next is a 1884 HR-2A Kampfe razor. It's showing some plating loss, but after a 132 years ...



It used to have a Star blade that was wider and higher than later wedge blades that Henckels and Heljestrand used. I dropped that blade in the bathroom sink and it broke off a big chunk, rendering it useless. Old steel can break!

You'll notice that there are no blade stops. The only thing positioning the blade is the guards on the sides of the head and the top clip.



Newer blades required careful adjustment of the side clips. The comb had to be regapped also.



This is my most aggressive razor. You can literally hear the blade slicing through the stubble with a crunching sound. BBS smooth every time.

 

[efsk]

Nice.

 

[Scooby Doo]

RAPIDE..

Another shot..

Three Shaving Pass Routine..

Hot Water prep & massage with Coconut Oil
German Rapide
Heljestrand Hollow ground blade
Hans Baier Silver Tip Badger
Vitos Tallow Soap (Italy)
Logona Mann Aftershave splash

I had my first shave with my German made Rapide with a Hollow ground blade..I have used this turn of the 19th Century SE with a Gem blade but this was a different experience altogether..I had to adjust the 2 small screws that you can see to get the Hollow ground to seat in the stops...The adjustments screw are there to take up any wear on blades through honing...Its a wee bit tedious but I got there in the end...I would say that the Rapide is just about centre right on the Aggression scale..Not as aggressive as the CV Heljestrand but a lot more so than the French L " Essor...The Rapide is a surprisingly very forgiving razor for all its Big lookin Jaws..These were mass produced in large numbers & were Cloned by many Companies including the more up market Henckels variation...

I ended up with a BBS Dolphin Smooth Finish after touching up under my nose with an Injector..I just couldn't get under my nose with the Rapide...All in all a real comfortable shave is to be had with this Old 1889 design I think it was..Here again I have been spoiled with the Swedish CV Heljestrand ...The Nordic Beauty is just leaps & bound ahead of any other Hollow Ground SE ...That said I enjoyed my shave with the Rapide & its simple robust design was away ahead of it time for sure..Its built like a Panzer Tank & no doubt will be cutting around for another Century or Two...In my humble opinion a Good Tallow Soap is almost a must with these Hollow Ground SEs.. Not a single cut, weeper or nick..Good Karma..

Billy..

 

[SafetyRZRBgnr78]

Here's my Wilkinson Sword razor I got Yesterday. It came with 3 blades but no strop so I have no idea how I'm gonna strop it.

Any ideas?

 

[pjgh]

The strop feeds through the razor and then the razors is slid back and forth along it ... you can make a strop out of anything really: thin leather belt, length of fabric from jeans, car seatbelt, you get the idea.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Here's my Wilkinson Sword razor I got Yesterday. It came with 3 blades but no strop so I have no idea how I'm gonna strop it.

Any ideas?

I just use a hand strop from a Gem Junior Bar Set..I don't like the standard set up Paul is describing..The set up that Paul is describing is an Auto strop System..It looks like you have the leather strop that feeds through the razor...You could also lay the leather strop flat and use electric tape on either side of the blade with a length long enough to grip either side to strop it with..80 to 100 laps...Or 40/50 a side which ever way you want to put it before & after shaving..If you don't have the leather strop its easy to pick up a cheapo on EBay..Denim wont do it...Take it from me..Get a leather job..

Billy

 

[spidey9]

If you're going to use the stropping system in the razor you'll need a piece of leather or similar material that is 1.45" wide by roughly 14" long and .055" thick.

A strop from a Valet Auto-Strop will almost work - it is a bit wider. You have to take a straight edge and trim 1/10" inch from one side. It will still work with the Auto-Strop after doing this.

If you use a stropping handle like Billy described, any straight razor type strop will do.

The bad news is that unless you are extremely lucky, stropping alone will not restore the blades to shave-ready condition. They will need to be honed.

They can be honed like a straight razor - the least expensive way to do this is with lapping film. This is also the method with the easiest learning curve.

It's a lot of hassle to get everything together and learn how to do it, but the feeling of satisfaction resulting from a great shave with a blade you have honed and stropped yourself must be experienced in order to be understood.

--Bob

 

[SafetyRZRBgnr78]

Yeah I have a strop from my Valet and I did notice it was a little wide. The bad thing about it is the strop has folds in it because the way it fits in the case.

I wish I had one of those handles to strop on my Illinois Co strop. I did have a hard time stropping it with the Valet strop because of the folds and the width.

 

[spidey9]

Get yourself some Lubriderm skin cream. Apply liberally to both sides of the strop and hang it vertically overnight. Repeat. The folds will disappear.

Use a metal ruler and a single edge razor blade to take a tenth of an inch off one side of the strop. Now it will work in the Wilkinson, while still being usable in the Auto-Strop.

--Bob

 

[SafetyRZRBgnr78]

Thanks for the tip I might try that soon.

Could I try sanding down both sides of the strop?

 

[Red Rider]

That Wilkinson Empire SE has to be the most Steampunk looking razor of them all.
I own 2 rolls and two AS Valet but the Wilkinson Empire SE with the wedge blade shown in just crazy Steampunk in it's look.
Fun stuff. Enjoy your shaves and thanks for sharing.