The 'Fergiebilly' Shim

I'm not so sure. If I understand correctly the shim has been made specifically with the Heljestrand in mind, therefore the way the shim sits in the razor will be different to the way it would sit in 1912/14 etc?

One option if I've read this correctly if you just wanted to the top part of the shim (similar to the @Fergiebilly method) you could just use a Stanley to cut off the rest of the shim and just keep the top part? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

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It fits fine in the Junior + the 1912, but not the 1914 (and I'm not sure about the 1924 yet) - although it will fit in the 1914 if you sand down the side stablizers.
 
It fits fine in the Junior + the 1912, but not the 1914 (and I'm not sure about the 1924 yet) - although it will fit in the 1914 if you sand down the side stablizers.
That's interesting, @Fergiebilly was adamant in an earlier post (pg 10) that it wouldn't work in a 1912 as it would alter things dramatically. Billy can you give us an insight into why you think it will be unusable in a 1912?

Assuming you haven't tried shaving with it yet @LordFatboy
 
It fits fine in the Junior + the 1912, but not the 1914 (and I'm not sure about the 1924 yet) - although it will fit in the 1914 if you sand down the side stablizers.
It's with regret that I think I have to disagree with you when you say it fits in the 1912. If you can get the shim to sit flush (which I couldn't) the angle is so dramatically different to that which you would get using the @Fergiebilly shim I don't think you would be able to shave with it. It makes the blade angle much steeper. It definitely doesn't fit in the 1914 and 1924 and I haven't got out my 1900 GEM Junior out yet to check it.

I do think this shim will only be good for those people with Heljestrand SE razor's, but would genuinely love someone to prove me wrong!
 
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The reason I wanted the shim is that on my particular Heljestrand, a GEM blade is not held securely without a shim, and I found 1 1/2 spines a bit fiddly to hold in place when also trying to manipulate a sharp blade. It was very specifically modelled on the hollow ground blades I have with my Heljestrand set. I literally can only use the razor with the hollow ground blades, or with a shim and the GEM.

I'd imagine, but don't know for sure, that other similar razors would work fine with it. For example, I bought from Fergiebilly a lovely French Louis Hoe razor, which looks to me like it would be very happy with the shim in place. I'd also imagine it might be useful in the Wilkinson sword razors that come with 7-day sets. This isn't based on knowledge, just supposition.

Ultimately, it was designed for the Heljestrand only really.
 
That's interesting, @Fergiebilly was adamant in an earlier post (pg 10) that it wouldn't work in a 1912 as it would alter things dramatically. Billy can you give us an insight into why you think it will be unusable in a 1912?

Assuming you haven't tried shaving with it yet @LordFatboy

I took that to mean "It wont work, it will make things ("dramatically") better". I've been using the "original" half blade back Fergie shim in the 1912 and Gem junior, and it fits well. Tho' I haven't tried shaving with the printed shim yet, it should work because it's about replicating the angle of the thick spined old blades.
 
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Greetings

If I may add something that may help you a bit here.

Wedge blades (to give them their commonly used name) are the blades that are in effect a small section of a straight razor blade, they need to be honed and stropped in exactly the same way as a straight razor. The back end of them ie the spine, is very thick although the exact thickness varies from blade to blade about three times as thick as the spine on a modern SE disposable blade and at least twice as thick as an old 1920's SE blade spine.

Wintoid has had this designed to make up the difference between a wedge blade spine and a modern SE blade spine therefore it will almost certainly prove way too thick for use in any SE razor that was originally designed for ordinary disposable (albeit stroppable) SE blades. All you are trying to do with a spine shim is to make up the difference between a modern GEM SE blade and one of the old SE blades, these old SE blades apart from having thicker blades had thicker spines and this is what you are simulating with a spine wedge/shim.

I hope this helps a bit, it is rather confusing I fully accept. Wintoids 'designer' shim, is likely to work (I suspect very well) on most any razor originally designed for wedge blades.

Regards
Dick.
 
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