Thread: Latest custom builds

Hi Brono, the spines are 5mm thick and i used 7 layers of tape. And that gave me a bevel of about 2mm.

Some very nice designs there.

Originally Posted by 3Drew101

Hi Brono, the spines are 5mm thick and i used 7 layers of tape. And that gave me a bevel of about 2mm.

2 mm bevel on a new blade is too much. When you make a new blade, the bevels will only get bigger over time. A newly ground razor, no matter the grind, should have a mm or less if you want the razor to still look good after several years. And 7 layers of tape.... that is just silly. Start with thicker stock and choose the thickness appropriately because otherwise you'll never end up with a razor of the correct geometry. You basically make a razor shaped knife with practically no hollow grinding, and then use 7 layers of tape to make it sort of behave like a razor.

For a first attempt at making a razor, this approach is fine, but if you want to say that you 'make razors' then they should be geometrically correct razors instead of razor shaped objects.

Well what can I say thanks for all your constructive comments, I will try to stop making silly razor shaped objects in future. Brono would you like to mark the rest of my work or should i just put the dunces cap on and sit in the corner until you tell me i can come out?

Bearing in mind so far I've made 5 razors (or razor shaped objects) I don't think i'm doing too bad, and the guys who've bought them are quite happy to say the least.

If you can get your first few razors looking this good, then think what you will be able to achieve in the future! You will only get better with experience. Well done.

Originally Posted by 3Drew101

Well what can I say thanks for all your constructive comments, I will try to stop making silly razor shaped objects in future. Brono would you like to mark the rest of my work or should i just put the dunces cap on and sit in the corner until you tell me i can come out?

Bearing in mind so far I've made 5 razors (or razor shaped objects) I don't think i'm doing too bad, and the guys who've bought them are quite happy to say the least.

You can do whatever you want. However, several people have informed you of the problems of full flat grind, and making razors too thin. The fact that you need 7 layers of tape to correct for this is clear proof that that geometry just does not work as intended / expected of a razor.

Over the last 200 years, tens of thousands of craftsmen doing nothing but grind razors all day long have made razors that are hollow ground to at least some degree, and with a width - thickness ratio that falls within a certain range. Every modern razor maker such as Livi, Robert Williams, Charlie Lewis, etc does the same thing.

After you have been given this information earlier by different people, why do you just ignore all those people? I apologise if I came across as snarky, but look at it from our pov. You ignore the advice you get given. You ignore the fact that all masters in this trade, from now till hundreds of years before now have settled independetly on certain geometrical aspects that actually work.

Thanks Brono, and I will indeed continue to do whatever I want, and learn with every new razor shaped object I make and you are correct "several people have informed and indeed tried to HELP me and I have listened and I will try to do better in future.
I will go away and think very carefully on all of you constructive words and will try to do something that will meet with your approval in the future.


Or I could just "feck it" and do what I want to do as long as I'm having fun doing it I'm going to keep on doing whatever looks good. I've added another image showing a section through the offending razor shaped object, I don't know if they are correct or even if they are closer than the last one I posted but if someone wants to check them please do. Like I said only my 5th razor and I'm still learning.

Drew - if you post things and ask for comments then you have to accept the good but also be prepared to take on some other advice. I don't see that Bruno was being critical - just pointing out some areas for you to consider. Basically if the wedge in the photo appears to hit the hone at the top of the spine - therefore, given that it's a 9/8" you have a blade width to spine width ratio of over 7 when the recommendation is 3.5 to 4 in order to end up with a bevel in the 18 degree area.

If you then introduce an element of hollow grinding you will achieve a much smaller bevel without the need for multiple layers of tape. Much as I like the look of what is on here I would not want either a bevel of that size or a need to tape to that extent when re-honing.

Take Bruno's advice for what it was intended - i.e. to help.

You should not sell razor looking like that. If u think it looks good with a massive blade and a narrow spine, keep them for yourself or give them away for free but please dont post as a vendor with razors that are wrong made. It will only bite you in the end when you sell them with wrong geometry. If you have problems with the thickness of spines, just ask the guys here, thay will help you.

Ok just to clarify a few points I made the big one because I was asked to make it for a guy who wanted a big blade, the blade grind starts 5mm off the spine because I listened to what I was told by a few of you in a previous post and I was trying to achieve a 4:1 ratio (and its not far off that from what I can tell) he since asking me to make this for him jerked me around and then promptly disappeared! Since I made this one I did the other two and the grind on them is about a 3:8 ratio. So yes I am listening and I am taking your help on board, just when I read Brono’s post I obviously read it in a condescending way that it was obviously not intended.

I am always ready to listen to advice and constructive criticism I guess I took what was being said in the wrong tone.