hey, i made my choice, i'm going to use a Derby. i read somewere that they should be corked before use, is there any validity to that and how is it done?
corking?
- Thread starter flight567
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It doesn't need to be corked. Try it, if you find the blade to be smoother, than you can do it, if you don't feel a difference, it's useless. I never corked my blades...
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- #3
k, thanks for the quick responce. how is it done? for further reference...
Corking is done by drawing the blade through a cork. This has the same effect as stropping a straight razor on a piece of leather. To get a better grip on the blade, you can mount in on the top plate of a 3-piece razor, and hold it down with your thumb.
I've done it with a number of different brands of blades. I can't tell any difference in the shave, so I don't bother any more.
If nothing else, you can cork a used DE blade after rinsing the lather off. This will restore the edge to squeaky clean. but again, it doesn't seem to make much difference in the shaving result.
I've done it with a number of different brands of blades. I can't tell any difference in the shave, so I don't bother any more.
If nothing else, you can cork a used DE blade after rinsing the lather off. This will restore the edge to squeaky clean. but again, it doesn't seem to make much difference in the shaving result.
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- #5
sweet lol sound good i'll try one side of my face uncorked and one side corked. i read in the same thread that it can be done with styrofoam aswell?
Yes, styrofoam will work. So will that green foam that florists use to build centerpieces.
Other schools of though say that you can strop a DE blade on your hand, or even on the side of a drinking glass.
Go ahead and try it, so you know what its all about. As I said, though, I don't do it anymore, since it seems like extra work for no real payoff.
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- #7
k, i'm about to shave( it'll take me a while im new) and i'll report back when im done
No, not really. I know some suggest corking will make blades smoother, but I think it is just another one of those urban shaving myths. The supposition that imprecisely dragging a micro-edged blade across a surface like cork will somehow result in a smoother or straighter blade just defies all logic. IMHO. YMMV.
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- #9
i'm back after myshave and there is no real difference between the corked side of my face and the not corked side so i'll have to agree with you. thanks all for your input, time and advice.
I have an image of you dragging your face along a cork about the size of a basketball...
As I understand it, corking is supposed to smooth out microscopic imperfections on the blade edge. I would imagine it also dulls the blade somewhat.
It might also behave like stropping a straight razor, removing oxidation from the edge of the blade.
The idea is to make a new blade shave as if it were a one shave old blade, as many have found that the first shave on a new blade can be pretty rough, but subsequent shaves are smoother.
You may think it has no merits, but for those people who found the Vertical Derby's to shave badly without corking, it seems to make a huge difference.
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