Thread: New Japanese Razor

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

Though Tosuke's rubber grips were probably more to meet international safety regulations. (last sentence is just my theory/conjecture).

I think that is unlikely. When he decided to go for the blue handles, there was no international market to speak of. Even today there is no international market. The only way to get them is still via someone living in Japan.

Iwasaki razors have started appearing at various online retailers for the last couple of years, and he doesn't use the blue rubber grips.

Originally Posted by Bruno

I think that is unlikely. When he decided to go for the blue handles, there was no international market to speak of. Even today there is no international market. The only way to get them is still via someone living in Japan.

Thats funny, because when I was enquiring about the wooden boxes that people seem to get with their Tosuke razors, several contacts stated that the wooden boxes are only provided for international sales. Normally they come in cardboard boxes.

Again, very nice!

Russel,

This is really nice. I like the hamon.

Two thoughts: On the Japanese razors I've honed, the "wedge" side was still hollow ground, so only the spine and edge made contact. You might consider using a 10" wheel for one side, which would allow you to preserve the hamon.

Also, I liked the idea someone had of blackening the handle to prevent rust. You could also dip a wrapped handle in epoxy or some other coating to rust-proof it while maintaining a traditional look.

Josh

For the tsukamaki wrap I figured there should be some sort of underlayment.

For Japanese swords they use shark's skin, or ray skin under the wrap, as it is like sandpaper, and gives the outer wrap something to grip. I thought perhaps if you were to dip the handle in epoxy, then sprinkle it with sugar, it would give an excellent moisture barrier, and awesome grip. That is what I've done to apply non-skid to windsurf boards I have made. The sugar absorbs the epoxy and thus becomes inert, yet maintains the 3 dimensional grit.

Then you can use whatever kind of wrap you'd like on top of that.

Anyhow, I'm busy working on some western style scales at the moment, but the idea of wrapping a Japanese razor has me intrigued.

As far as keeping the assymetry, yes I hear you all on that. That's the way they are made, so that's the way they should be made...I'm on board with that. But why not give the middle way a try? It may be the best of both worlds.


Or it could be a flop

Tsukamaki

For those who are interested...

Thanks to everyone!

All of your suggestions are being taken under serious consideration, I really do appreciate them.

Up next is #3 with a custom blade guard... stay tuned for pics...

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

Russel,

This is really nice. I like the hamon.

Two thoughts: On the Japanese razors I've honed, the "wedge" side was still hollow ground, so only the spine and edge made contact. You might consider using a 10" wheel for one side, which would allow you to preserve the hamon.

Also, I liked the idea someone had of blackening the handle to prevent rust. You could also dip a wrapped handle in epoxy or some other coating to rust-proof it while maintaining a traditional look.

Josh

Just a visual to support Josh. I think this is a Tosuke razor.
Looking at the tip, you can see a slight concave grind on the 'wedge' side.

And yes, a patina on the handle and some oil would be all the maintenance needed, IMHO.

Os

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Just a visual to support Josh. I think this is a Tosuke razor.
Looking at the tip, you can see a slight concave grind on the 'wedge' side.

And yes, a patina on the handle and some oil would be all the maintenance needed, IMHO.

Os

The pic shown is of an Iwasaki, his grinding and shape are telltale.

Russel, there's a kit casswell sells for doing black oxide coating on tools. This would give you the protection and old world look without having to use iron for the handle. AFAIK Iwasaki's handles are simply iron left unpolished and covered in mill scale from the forging.

Caswell Inc. - Black Oxide Kit

You would need to apply this coating after the heat treatment but before final polishing if you want the iwasaki look. I also heard somewhere you can mask the work with laquer (with a stencil perhaps) before dipping to achieve patterns.

There is a layer of scale on the blade from the forging anyway, I'll see if it is enough to protect the blade or not in the coming weeks as I have always just sanded it off previously.

Oh, and I guess I have been using pictures of razors that were not made by either Iwasaki or Tosuke, this one appears to have a truly flat wedge side.

The slight hollow would definitely speed up the honing, but I don't have a larger wheel currently, so I'll have to make do for a while.