Razor blades on mobile

Has anyone here actually tried it? I'm too mean to buy razor blades especially for a test, but I might have to, just out of curiosity, if I knew what the claim was.

It is conceivably possible that it helps the antenna be more efficient.

But that will relate to a specific model of phone only.

e.g the range of wifi at 2.4Ghz is usually not much greater than 30 metres or so.

But equipped with large directional antennae like Yagis it can do a mile.

If it makes an improvement to the wi-fi performance of the phone don't you think the manufactures would have already built this cheap bit of metal into the phone already?

Oh come on! Now you're being logical!

Why? It would cost money. And destroy the styling. These are not communication devices, these are fashion accessories.

Jim,

If you can find a home baker who bakes sourdough bread you can probably get some blades free. They use them to score the surface of the dough to create "ears" in the bread as described below (you will have to re-join the URL) so usually have some spare.

Dave

I might try a Stanley Knife blade, but I need a location with a weak signal to try. I know a place, but not until next week.

SWMBO has just ordered a sourdough starter. (Her previous attempts to DIY were not a success.) I don't like the idea of her playing with razor blades though.

You can't get a good ear without something sharp, My SWMBO has tried many things but returns to razor blades...

.. should I be nervous...

Dave

I just use an ordinary kitchen knife, it's fine. That ears thing is fancier, though.

So that if someone swipes it, they get bloody fingers.

You know her far better than any of us. My concern is of my SWMBO's ability to handle something like a razor blade without cutting her fingers off.

Which is possibly the thief's street name.

Which is possibly the thief's street name.

Great name for a group playing multiple stringed instruments too fast.

Tone

If you watch the video, you will see that here are holders designed to help her do the job safely

Can buy single edged...0.5p each

The 'Cheese Wires' would also work? Mebbe?

'Les Garottes', less so :-)

Chris

Bird flu is real enough in a financial sense.

"The exact total number of chickens killed by bird flu is not readily available, but millions have been killed globally and tens of millions in the U.S. alone since the outbreak began in 2022. For example, over 166 million commercial birds, including chickens, had died or been culled in the United States by early 2025. Other large-scale culls have occurred in various locations to control the spread of the virus, with specific instances including the culling of over 5 million chickens in an Iowa egg factory and a single farm in Colorado where 1.8 million chickens were culled."

The biohazard level, for operating a chicken operation, is currently at the highest level possible. Since this is migration season for wild birds "chicken are not allowed to roam outside in the barnyard". The chickens have to stay in a building, people entering and exiting the facility have to wear suits and wash their boots in a suitable solution.

We had an ostrich farm here, where the birds roamed outside, and they caught bird flu. And just recently, the operation to euthanize them was completed, so there are no longer ostriches on that farm.

Part of the purpose of this, is to keep humans from catching it, and allowing the virus to mutate like the COVID did. And become a "persistent threat". Well, it's already a persistent threat, being carried by wild birds, and every season migration happens, new infections spring up. The wild birds are the reservoir.