I have read a lot about shims but I'm not sure exactly how to do it. I have a few razors that I think would benefit from it. I saw someone that said they just cut the edges off a blade and placed it under the sharp blade, but I'm not sure that's right.
How to shim
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You have it right.....simple really.
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Thanks for the reply. I also got a PM from a member with a link to more information. I'll definitely bet trying this with my Ikon OSS next week. I believe it's one shim away from being perfect.
Good luck with the shimming!
so does it go on top of the blade or below? if you're pointing the head of the razor up towards the ceiling.
The idea is to increase the blade gap, or the distance between the blade and the guard. The wording of your question suggests that you are using a TTO razor, so you would insert the shim first and then the blade. With a 3-piece you load in reverse order because you are loading onto the cap instead of the guard.
Thanks Oxford. My wording was just very bad as I am using a 3 piece. So in that case the shim goes on after the blade. Gotcha. Thanks for explaining.
So here's a question/thought... if you wanted to do the opposite, could you put the shims between the top of the blade and the razor head instead, and make the razor less aggressive that way? Anyone ever experiment/try this?
Good questions shave rat!
Actually, it makes it more agressive. It makes the blade flatter, and its "wings" open. I've made a mild razor r-41 like that way.
I find this whole shimming thing fascinating. So you buy a razor for $150 and figure you have to jury rig it somehow to make it work better. Get a razor that works for you. I mean, what's next. We have to offer up our first born to get a decent shave!?
Not always the case tho. Very often you are talking about some vintage razor you got for $5 at an antique shop and love the look/feel of, or a family heirloom passed down you really want to use, but don't like the way they shave. This provides options other than just dealing with not liking the razors performance or putting it into display only status.
Aside from that, the desire to add minor tweaks or such is common in a lot of other areas (and costs a lot more money)... how many hardcore car people bought a brand new mustang then spent thousands replacing the on board computer or whatever so they could tweak another 10 horses out of the car, even though they'll never drive it anywhere faster than a US highway? At least shimming a razor is free, and you'll actually use the enhanced performance aspect. lol
I find these types of responses fascinating. I always ask which razors people own which are 100% perfect with every blade, right out of the box. It takes 5 seconds and costs $0.00. If it improves the performace of a $5 dollar razor or a $500 raozr it seems like a no brainer.
I shim my Feather SS with some very thin (about 1/8") packing foam to make it more aggressive. I use that so I don't scratch up the razor. It works well but I only get one use out of the foam since it get's flattened out. My source of the packing foam was QCS, but I didn't get any on my last shipment. I cut the foam to be just short of the blade edges and place it under the blade.
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Ikon OSS has to be the mildest razor ever made. I put two shims between the blade and base plate and I can't tell a bit of difference. I think I'll try out four tomorrow and see what happens.
I own several dozen razors - I have no issues with tweaking them...no more so than modifying a new performance vehicle with an aftermarket exhaust or a computer chip modification.
Here's how I shimmed my Slant 39C recently...
Here's how I shimmed my Slant 39C recently...
So just out of curiosity, would I be able to turn my R89 into a R41 by just shimming it?
No...the R41 has the blade laying primarily flat whereas the 89 has quite a bit more curvature. You can however make the 89 a more "moderate" shaver by adding a shim or two. The idea of shimming, in my view, is not to radically change the razor into something it was never meant to be; rather, it's to simply dial in the aggressiveness a bit more (provided more aggressiveness is what you want).
I tend to add no more than 1 or 2 shims simply to add a bit more aggression. The Slant for example shaves wonderfully on its own. With a couple of shims, it shaves just as smoothly, just a bit closer. To my knowledge with the Merkur Slant, you don't have any other options to improve its aggressiveness except for shimming and perhaps going to a Feather blade.
I tend to add no more than 1 or 2 shims simply to add a bit more aggression. The Slant for example shaves wonderfully on its own. With a couple of shims, it shaves just as smoothly, just a bit closer. To my knowledge with the Merkur Slant, you don't have any other options to improve its aggressiveness except for shimming and perhaps going to a Feather blade.
I sometimes triple-shim my Weber DLC.
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