The "what is" and " how to" thread for the Rolls Razor

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by gregindallas, Mar 10, 2011.

  1. twhite

    twhite Peeping Tom

    Do you mind sharing how you got them shave ready. I have one but it is in need of a proper sharpening. Using the stone snd strop is not getting it done

    Thanks

    Tom
     
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  2. mpires

    mpires New Member

    For more incredible as it sounds was just using the stone and the strop 2 Blades did came already ready to shave but the other did not pass hair test.

    10 cycles on the stone 20 on the strop i did this over and over and all the blades did get to shave ready.

    I did this process very slowly, some ppl do this very fast i did prefer to do this with a lot of patience LOL

    One of the stones i could tell that was perfectly new this probably did help a lot.
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2016
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  3. macaronus

    macaronus Sir Nice-a-Lot

    So it couldn't cut air? Darn! That's a dull blade! :p

    Other than that: well done! :happy088:
     
  4. atnbirdie

    atnbirdie Member

    mpires, Glad to have been of assistance. You sure have a nice set there. Congratulations!
     
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  5. mpires

    mpires New Member

    HAHAHAHAHAH, ye my blade is super special LOL my phone spell check did change and did not see hahaha
     
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  6. mpires

    mpires New Member

    Thanks atnbirdie, your help was precious ;)
     
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  7. atnbirdie

    atnbirdie Member

    I agree with mpires re: using the Rolls strop and hone. That system can make your blades shave ready in my experience. I used a different approach of doing 50 double strokes on the hone, then 50 on the strop. I then repeated the process and ended up with shave ready blades.
    That said, I do notice a marginal improvement if I hand hone the blades. I like to hand hone so do that but know if I'm traveling or just need a quick touch up to the blade, my Rolls hone will do the job. I made some 2, 3, 4 layer vinyl electrical tape "gauges" and measured the gap under the spine of the blade while putting pressure on the handle to start the honing motion. This gap can differ slightly between Rolls units ( one of mine takes 2; the other 3 layers). I then apply the correct number of layers to the spine to hand hone. This ensures when I set the bevel and hand hone, the angle will be the same as when I hone in the Rolls. Thus, I can do touch ups without worrying about resetting the bevel. This approach also ensures maximum efficiency of stropping.
    So don't give up on your Rolls hones! Think of it: the Rolls was on the market from Bout 1917-1958. No product could have lasted 40 years on the market if it didn't work. What killed the Rolls was the emergence of inexpensive DE systems, not poor performance.
     
  8. twhite

    twhite Peeping Tom

    I have done about 4 of the cycles that you suggested above. The blade is starting to cut hairs on my arm. Say about 10 hairs.

    How can i tell when it is sharp enough to shave with? I really don't want to slice my face.

    Tom
     
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  9. atnbirdie

    atnbirdie Member

    If it's not sharp enough to do an efficient shave, it will pull and feel rough. It won't slice you up. Your comment about slicing makes me think maybe you are thinking of the rolls as a true safety razor which it most certainly is not. The "safety bar" is more for protection of the edge from damage than to protect your face! LOL

    Shave with the proper Rolls technique which is to hold the blade nearly parallel to your face, NOT at the shallower angles used with DE razors. After all, it is a straight razor. As always, not much more than weight of the razor pressure on your skin. If the shave is rough, hone/strop again. If the shave feels good, your done!
    Enjoy!
     
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  10. macaronus

    macaronus Sir Nice-a-Lot

    Amen to that!
     
  11. DaveH

    DaveH Active Member

    First off a big thank you to the original poster for the detailed walk through on servicing the Rolls Razor, and a thank you to all who have posted on this thread every question is a question awnsered and every opinion is more knowledge in this knowledge base.

    It's hard not to fall in love at first sight with the mechanical shaving machine bearing the name Rolls Razor, it is so grand that it must have been left over from Victorian times.

    But when your pride and joy tumbles through the letter box you stand a good chance the blade will look like this or even worse.


    [​IMG]

    20 to 30 cycles on the rolls hone showed that although the hone was removing metal I was unlikely to live long enough to produce a shave ready blade,, and if I did I would likely wreak the hone, I do have two unused slate razor hones I purchased in the mid 1970s and a few rubs with one of these showed that was not the way to go, left with the choice do I buy a 8k/4K hone or find an alternative way to re hone I elected to try lapping film, I think it has been mentioned earlier on this thread. It can be stuck to glass with soapy water when dry it becomes bonded to the glass, I stuck four 2 inch strips onto 6mm glass, 15 - 5 - 3 and 1 micron using a little water as a lubricant approximately 50 strokes on the 15 and the 5 micron film followed 10 strokes on the 3 and 1 micron film seems to produce a shave ready blade. I have been using it for a week now and just give the blade 3 strokes on the 1 micron film before shaving every day, oh I forgot to say I tape the spine of the blade with 3 layers of tape.

    Dave
     
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  12. macaronus

    macaronus Sir Nice-a-Lot

    Excellent, Dave! Congratz!

    crowdyell.gif
     
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  13. vontreigo

    vontreigo Member

    (off topic a bit) Anyone ever see dimensional drawings for the Rolls?
    Working on an art project. I'm creating a 3d drawing of the rolls so that I can learn a new program. hone assy.png
     
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2016
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  14. macaronus

    macaronus Sir Nice-a-Lot

    Sorry, no. Haven't seen any Rolls Razor 3D drawing.
    Time to take out the calipers etc! And be sure to share more results! The stone looks great already. :happy088:
     
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  15. vontreigo

    vontreigo Member

  16. macaronus

    macaronus Sir Nice-a-Lot

  17. spidey9

    spidey9 Well-Known Member

    This is a page from A Safety Razor Compendium by Robert K. Waits, commonly referred to as "Waits Compendium" or simply "Waits." This work is the bible for anyone even halfway serious about vintage razors, and an entire chapter is devoted to the Rolls razors.

    It is out of print but print editions can still be found on Amazon, eBay, etc. Even better, a downloadable pdf can be purchased from coinsandmoreonline.com for a very reasonable price.

    A shortcut to it is prominently featured on my desktop.

    --Bob
     
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  18. ob1page

    ob1page Frozen in Phoenix

    And so it begins...I have this on the way. Still has a blade wrapped in paper [​IMG]
     
  19. macaronus

    macaronus Sir Nice-a-Lot

    And a spare blade as well! Excellent!

    Be sure to treat it as a straight (on a stick). So: very light touch, blade almost flat agains the skin. Hope you'll enjoy it!
     
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  20. ob1page

    ob1page Frozen in Phoenix

    My Rolls Razor showed up today! Very interesting razor and it's in very good condition. It has two blades and both are in great shape. The hone and strop are also in great condition. I'm going to spend some time this weekend following this thread and cleaning it up. I'm hopeful one of the blades sharpens up good enough to shave with. I'm really excited about this razor.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     

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