Stright razor anatomy...

[Steve56]

Hello,

The bottom edge of the tang, on either side, the angled flats on the tang right behind the shoulder, what are they called, what is the proper name? The area is highlighted in the photo below.

View attachment 110888

Thank you.

That ‘tapered flat’ keeps the stabilizer from having such a sharp corner that would not feel good in hand. I do not know if it has a proper name, it probably does among razor makers. Take a look at the Puma rear stabilizer, the part in red below the tang, and then imagine if there was no tapered flat. You’d have a sharp corner.

 

[Twelvefret]

That’s correct, jimps are the lateral file marks on the top, bottom, or both on the tang.

So one on top and bottom are double jimps?

 

[R181]

While lateral jimping is the most common style other styles do exist.

Bob

 

[Steve56]

So one on top and bottom are double jimps?View attachment 110923

Yepper!

 

[Steve56]

While lateral jimping is the most common style other styles do exist.

Bob

I don’t know if these qualify as jimps, but they do serve somewhat the same function. Le Grelot Sheffield Steel 355 5/8.

 

[R181]

I don’t know if these qualify as jimps, but they do serve somewhat the same function. Le Grelot Sheffield Steel 355 5/8.

View attachment 110924

Yup, that is the sort of thing I was thinking about as well as the cuts running diagonally off the rounded sides of a tang. They all attempt to provide extra grip on the tang for more control. I am sure you could get into all kinds of fancy names but hey they all do the same thing.

Bob

Bob

 

[Steve56]

Yup, that is the sort of thing I was thinking about as well as the cuts running diagonally off the rounded sides of a tang. They all attempt to provide extra grip on the tang for more control. I am sure you could get into all kinds of fancy names but hey they all do the same thing.

Bob

Bob

I don’t have a razor with those ‘diagonally off the rounded sides’ jimps but I’d love to have one. They’re not common and you only see those on upscale razors I believe.

 

[UKRob]

This is an interesting document that shows what the various features were called by an actual grinder in Sheffield. Note that he describes the tang as the area after the pivot pin - what others refer to as the tail.

https://fm.typepad.com/files/shefieldrazorskenhawley20121126.pdf

 

[R181]

I don’t have a razor with those ‘diagonally off the rounded sides’ jimps but I’d love to have one. They’re not common and you only see those on upscale razors I believe.

This is what I had in mind with "diagonally of the rounded sides" but there are even better examples around.

The razor also shows a variation of the "long cut shoulderless" grind. In this case the blade has a shoulder. There is also conventional jimping on the bottom of the tang.

Bob

 

[Grayswandir]

I don’t know if these qualify as jimps, but they do serve somewhat the same function. Le Grelot Sheffield Steel 355 5/8.

View attachment 110924

Wow Steve, that's a monster! Very beautiful.

 

[Grayswandir]

That ‘tapered flat’ keeps the stabilizer from having such a sharp corner that would not feel good in hand. I do not know if it has a proper name, it probably does among razor makers. Take a look at the Puma rear stabilizer, the part in red below the tang, and then imagine if there was no tapered flat. You’d have a sharp corner.

View attachment 110922

So far, that's two uses to grind in those angled flats, one so the razor slides into the scales without catching (which makes sense, but I do have some razors without the angled flats ground into the tang), and the other reason being the stabilizer.

 

[Grayswandir]

This is an interesting document that shows what the various features were called by an actual grinder in Sheffield. Note that he describes the tang as the area after the pivot pin - what others refer to as the tail.

https://fm.typepad.com/files/shefieldrazorskenhawley20121126.pdf

I love the hand-written notes and sketches, I'm a sucker for things like that. I really like the "long cut" shoulder on page 4. It looks good, feels good in the hand while shaving (I get a more stable grip, which is something I really like), and makes for really comfortable honing.

I now know what a "Grob" is, which alone was worth reading the pdf, thank you!

 

[Grayswandir]

For instance here are a few of my own razors, showing different shoulder styles, the double stabilizer shoulder is very uncommon I occasionally see them but not that often, usually found on some of the big FBU Wade & Butchers.

Shoulderless.
View attachment 110913

Shoulder no stabilizer.
View attachment 110914

Shoulder single stabilizer.
View attachment 110916

You really own some wonderful razors Jamie, and the photography is first rate. Do you take the pictures yourself or were they part of the advertising to sell the razor? Either way, they're really amazing.

You also seem to own some of the best Japanese razors around. Do you have a favorite maker, in regards to the value you get for what you spend? Sometimes some of the less expensive razors can really hang with the high dollar razors. I'm also curious, do you own any American straight razors, and if so, do you have a favorite maker?

Thanks.

 

[JamieM]

Grayswandir,

Yes, my all my own photos, photography is something that's always been my interest, as for favourites, I prefer heavier grinds half and quarter hollows, I'm not a fan of fine hollow grinds, there are some great Japanese razors out there, makers such as Tanifuji, Hoshi Tombo, Kamijo Yukio, King Pelican, Kikuboshi, Fon, Diamond Hayashi, and last but not least Iwasaki, and many other Japanese makers, western-style Iwasaki razors have become so sought after it's pointless trying to find one, seen them in mint condition selling for more than £1500.

 

[Grayswandir]

Grayswandir,

Yes, my all my own photos, photography is something that's always been my interest, as for favourites, I prefer heavier grinds half and quarter hollows, I'm not a fan of fine hollow grinds, there are some great Japanese razors out there, makers such as Tanifuji, Hoshi Tombo, Kamijo Yukio, King Pelican, Kikuboshi, Fon, Diamond Hayashi, and last but not least Iwasaki, and many other Japanese makers, western-style Iwasaki razors have become so sought after it's pointless trying to find one, seen them in mint condition selling for more than £1500.

Your photography skills are excellent. Are you using a a digital SLR? I went to college and took a photography course. I used a student camera. I think it was a Pentax K1000 or something? I loved that camera, it took some really nice photographs. I dropped of out school, right before we started learning how to develop our photos. I do have a bunch of slides from back then.

I dream of finding an Iwasaki at a yard sale. It could happen!