Wustof 5/8

Seraphim · 08-04-2008, 06:56 PM

75 years old, but it doesn't seem to have been ever honed.

I will rectify that oversight posthaste!

I'm really quite pleased with this Ebay purchase! I can't wait to give it a shave!

SteveS · 08-04-2008, 09:49 PM

Ohhh that looks even better in your pictures than it did in the ebay listing (I was watching it, too). Very nice grab.

Seraphim · 08-04-2008, 09:50 PM

I was surprised myself at the shape it was in. My best EBay purchase to date. It's like brand new.

holli4pirating · 08-04-2008, 09:52 PM

That is a great looking blade. Is that a smile, or just the focal length playing tricks?

Seraphim · 08-04-2008, 09:59 PM

No tricks

Just a nice happy smile...

Seraphim · 08-06-2008, 06:44 PM

RaZor honed up nice and easy.

Here is the edge at 200x straight off the 1um diamond lapping film. I'll hit it up with some crome ox, linen, and latigo and it should smooth out even more.

Razor has nice, tight, small bevels. The fact that you can see the entire bevel here at 200x says as much.

I have found that the razors that hone up really easy tend to be the best shavers. My experience is somewhat limited, but that is the impression I get.

Milton Man · 08-06-2008, 07:52 PM

Oh wow! That's just wonderful...I didn't even know Wustof made straight razors - I love their kitchen knives though!

Just out of curiosity, what are you using to take the digital microscope pictures?

Mark

Seraphim · 08-06-2008, 08:14 PM

This razor just oozes quality of craftsmanship. I haven't even used it yet, and I love it.

I work at a reasearch lab, and as such have access to a whiz-bang-big-bucks Olympus microscope that goes up to 1000x.

And then we also have two electron microscopes

, but I haven't snuck one of my razors in there.

Yet....

Seraphim · 08-07-2008, 03:47 PM

After stropping on chrome ox, linen and latigo. Same edge again at 200x:

The stropping (including the chrome ox) really rounded off the bevel edge where it meets up with the main blade.

Interesting..

mbhodges · 08-08-2008, 06:47 AM

Ah-ha! You are the one I was having the bidding war with over this beauty. Looks great! Hope you enjoy it. Let me know how it shaves.

SteveS · 08-08-2008, 04:01 PM

Your before and after stropping pictures are interesting to compare. Besides the "rounding" of the back edge of the bevel, in the before pictures, the scratches are perpendicular to the edge. In the after picture, the scratches are considerably off perpendicular. Did you hone straight and strop at a considerable angle? I tend to do the opposite, though I don't use pastes.

Seraphim · 08-08-2008, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbhodges

Ah-ha! You are the one I was having the bidding war with over this beauty. Looks great! Hope you enjoy it. Let me know how it shaves.

Wasn't me you were having a bidding war with. I simply swooped in at the last minute with the winning bid!

I only bid once on it.

Seraphim · 08-08-2008, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveS

Your before and after stropping pictures are interesting to compare. Besides the "rounding" of the back edge of the bevel, in the before pictures, the scratches are perpendicular to the edge. In the after picture, the scratches are considerably off perpendicular. Did you hone straight and strop at a considerable angle? I tend to do the opposite, though I don't use pastes.

I hone it straight up and down. I used the chrome ox strop at an angle, and then the canvas and latigo (3" artisan model strop) were straight up and down again.

Next time I think I'll skip the chrome ox and see what kind of difference just the linen and latigo makes to the edge.

Seraphim · 08-12-2008, 04:32 PM

Wustof's are horrible, terrible shavers. Worse than Zeepks.

Really. Don't bother bidding on one if it shows up on EBay.

OK, so they actually shave incredibly well!

Seraphim · 08-14-2008, 09:40 PM

First couple of shaves with this razor have been top notch.

Refreshed the edge for the sake of experiment, and instead of using hanging strop with chrome ox, went with 0.5 micron lapping film:

holli4pirating · 08-15-2008, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seraphim

First couple of shaves with this razor have been top notch.

Refreshed the edge for the sake of experiment, and instead of using hanging strop with chrome ox, went with 0.5 micron lapping film:

That is an exceptionally polished bevel. I was going to say that makes me wish I could see mine so that I know what I'm shaving with, but then I thought that mine wouldn't look nearly as nice.

Seraphim · 08-15-2008, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

That is an exceptionally polished bevel. I was going to say that makes me wish I could see mine so that I know what I'm shaving with, but then I thought that mine wouldn't look nearly as nice.

Having access to a microscope simply leads to being obsessive compulsive about this nonsense.

I had afantastic shave with this razor, and then wanted to take a look at the edge to see where things were at. There were a number of irregularities, tiny little pits and chips along the edge, not at all so nice and even as it looks in this latest image. But the shave was fantastic. But after seeing the edge under the scope I had to give it a touch up to see how "nice" I could get it...

In other words--microscope pics are pretty cool, and very interesting to see what's going on with your edge, but getting anal about having the finest edge possible really doesn't matter all that much.

What I have found to be the best jusge of edge quality is to look at the gleam along the very edge of the razor under a bright incandecent bulb. I look to see that the gleam is small and even along the length of the razor. That had been the best subjective guide of a nice shaving edge so far.