Re-discovered Gillette Super-Speed blade gap.

SirPrize

SirPrize

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I recently has the opportunity to play around with some 1930's carbon steel blades.
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When testing new blades I always use an early SS because they are so mild, and was astonished how well these blades improved the shave of an SS.
I have always found the early SS rather mild and ineffectual.
Noticing how thick these blades were, and remembering that the early SS's were introduced before the inception of the thin stainless steel blades we all now use I had something of a Eureka moment. :idea: (Yes - I was in the bath!)
Taking a discarded blade I ground down the edge with an electric knife sharpener and using this blade as a shim I loaded a Yellow Gillette and proceeded to enjoy the sort of shave this razor must have dispensed before the arrival of thin stainless steel.
I actually managed to nick myself in two places (with an SS - is it I whom you shit?) so used am I to treating the SS with cavalier distain.
Other than that it was a beautiful shave - I am still sitting here with an expression of imbecile rapture and stroking my face repeatedly - and feeling as smug as Schliemann must have felt when he discovered Troy!
So to restore your SS to it's former puissance - go shim yourself! :D
 
Arrowhead said:
Interesting ... you wouldn't by any chance be able to quote a thickness for the old blades would you, Anthony?
Click to expand...
Easily answered - the blades that Alan sent me are actually marked "Apollo spetzial-schliff 0.13mm".
I don't have an instrument capable of measuring a modern blade but I daresay someone does.
 
SirPrize said:
Arrowhead said:
Interesting ... you wouldn't by any chance be able to quote a thickness for the old blades would you, Anthony?
Click to expand...
Easily answered - the blades that Alan sent me are actually marked "Apollo spetzial-schliff 0.13".
I don't have an instrument capable of measuring a modern blade but I daresay someone does.
Click to expand...


Where's Bruce and his Vernier when you need him? :)
 
All of the sample I've measured are 0.1mm. Which suggests that Anthony's shim is raising the centre of the new blade way beyond where it would be with the carbon ones: he'd need one 0.015mm thick to reproduce the geometry, that's a bit over half a thou. 0.0005" shimstock is readily available in brass and stainless steel, so it's not such a daft idea, if a teensy bit obsessive.

I'm very reluctant to take issue with Mr Monster, but here's a pic of my calipers:
 

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I bought a Mitutoyo caliper for work with the same stated resolution, but it's a poorly finished item compared to the Moore and Wright. I've no reason to doubt its accuracy, though. Your original point about micrometers vs vernier calipers is absolutely sound, and I used the former to get the figure for razor blades.
 
Anthony's tip for shimming up the Superspeed really does work. I've always found Superspeeds too mild and require a bit of work to get a decent shave.

The best bit is it works! Just tried it and it was a very nice shave - not too mild and not feeling like its going to hack you to bits.

I'm a very happy chappy as I do like the size, shape and manoeuverability of the Superspeed but always found them too mild... so a plus one for Sir Prize's advice.
 
Arrowhead said:
All of the sample I've measured are 0.1mm. Which suggests that Anthony's shim is raising the centre of the new blade way beyond where it would be with the carbon ones
Click to expand...
Obsessive - Moi?
Fair comment - I used only what was readily to hand this morning.
Would anyone have a couple of used "Thins" that I could have? - in effect a sort of conversion kit to allow one to use modern blades in pre-sixties razors whilst maintaining the blade gap for which these razors were originally calibrated.
Swap you unused Yellow Gillettes!
 
hunnymonster said:
It'd be a surprise if a modern set of budget calipers has more than 10 ticks on it's Vernier scale, and that's before I comment on the accuracy/calibration of it...
Click to expand...

Well, most of the Chinese one's I've seen (metric that is) have a 20 ticks nonius (vernier) scale; so both my expensive calipers and my cheap chinese mini-calipers, and even my flimsy plastic HP-giveaway calipers all claim an 0.05 mm accuracy. Not that I trust any of them to be more accurate than to 0.1 mm - and even that is way too accurate for (most) woodworking needs - for that the flimsy plastic calipers usually suffice...
 
We need a set of calibrated DE shims in a set like a feeler gauge kit.

Then you'd have a adjustable razor.

If only Gillette had made an adjustable - imagine one where they baseplate can be raised or lowered by clicking a collar with presets - maybe even marked 1-10.

And then imagine if they did it in two version: a short "Fat" one with the old style SS head and a longer, "Slim" one with the later shallower domed head.

Wow! I'd buy one of those!
 
Rev-O said:
If only Gillette had made an adjustable - imagine one where they baseplate can be raised or lowered by clicking a collar with presets - maybe even marked 1-10.
And then imagine if they did it in two version: a short "Fat" one with the old style SS head and a longer, "Slim" one with the later shallower domed head.
Wow! I'd buy one of those!
Click to expand...
1 to 10 is probably overkill, I think going up to 9 would be more than sufficient, or theyy could sell preset ones, like with colour coding or something? That would be great :D

FB.
 
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