Thread: A umm, semi-custom? *a story + pics*

Here's one that I just finished. I either made something cool, or destroyed a piece of history. Either way, I love it now and it's not gathering dust.

Stats-
Started as a 8/8 W. Greaves and sons, 1/4 hollow w/barber's notch, lots 'o pitting
Ended as a 7/8++ 1/4 hollow Spanish point, shortened blade, spiked heel, unmarked blade, mirror finish.
Thuya Burl scales with brass liners, pins & washers. Nylon thrust bearings. Poly finish.
Thuya Burl and brass spacer.

Here's the story, conveniently separated if you just want to see the pics;

Code:

So I've been eyeballing custom razors for nearly a year now, and the common
consensus is that you should try all of your options before ordering a custom so you
know exactly what you like. Sounds great, but what if you want a 7/8, 1/4 hollow, 
Spanish point with a shoulderless, spiked heel? 
I guess you're SOL, unless you have some free time.
I won this Greaves on the bay for ~$20.00, and was disappointed when the pitting
was worse than I expected, with micropitting throughout the entire blade. To remove
the pitting I would have to pretty much remove the makers mark, and I would be left
with yet another 7/8, 1/4 hollow barbers notch blade.I already have 6 of those, but I
had an idea.
After cleaning up the blade up to 320 grit and seeing the true extent of the pitting, I
drew on it with a sharpie to make it look like what I would like in a custom, and then
went to work.

Ebay pics + a before;



And then, the after;



And a couple more. It closes completely centered, has a mirror finish, feels good in the hand, and shaves great.



I'm really happy with this one. Although I had a little cut on the test shave (watch the spiked heel!), the shave was great, the balance is great, and overall I think it's my new favorite. Now to get in touch with R. Williams, Buddel, or Philadelph...

1 more pic for good measure;



Any comments, criticism, etc. are very welcome. Even if you're mad at me for destroying a vintage razor

*edit* I just called it a "semi-custom" as it's not a custom, not a restoration, not really a refurb. If there's a better designation, I'd love to hear it, but I'm not trying to start a "custom vs not custom debate"

Damn!!

It's Friggin beautiful !!!!


make a few to go around ...

Its really really nice. Taking an old blade and redoing everything about it and making it custom while getting rid of severe pitting and breathing a new lifetime into it is AWESOME !

WHOA-That's fantastic!I'm a fan of vintage blades,especially humpback,barbers notch,unique old blades like this one.But in this case,the pitting was too advanced.I really like the blade.It turned out great.The scale style is a little radical for my taste,but I'm sure you'll hear from a lot of people who love them.They are well executed and beautifully done.

wow that is an amazing looking razor, job well done blade looks great and some of the nicest scales i have ever seen

Originally Posted by BigBubba

*edit* I just called it a "semi-custom" as it's not a custom, not a restoration, not really a refurb. If there's a better designation, I'd love to hear it, but I'm not trying to start a "custom vs not custom debate"

How about a "bionic razor," codename "six million dollar razor." You have the technology. You can rebuild it. You can make it stronger.

Originally Posted by loueedacat

How about a "bionic razor," codename "six million dollar razor." You have the technology. You can rebuild it. You can make it stronger.

good idea you need a name for your creation

Holy Crap that's gorgeous! Colour me neon green with envy! Gah! Just speechless!

What did you use to shape the blade?

Mark

Originally Posted by Milton Man

Holy Crap that's gorgeous! Colour me neon green with envy! Gah! Just speechless!

What did you use to shape the blade?

Mark

Heh, here's where it get's a 'lil weird. I used what I usually do. A dremel. I watched "6 feet under", pausing every 5 minutes to grind on it until it got warm (about 15 seconds), then watched another 5 min., over and over. I was scared to mess with the temper, so it took a really long time.
I used a coping saw to cut the scales, and a dremel and sandpaper for the rest.

Originally Posted by BigBubba

Heh, here's where it get's a 'lil weird. I used what I usually do. A dremel. I watched "6 feet under", pausing every 5 minutes to grind on it until it got warm (about 15 seconds), then watched another 5 min., over and over. I was scared to mess with the temper, so it took a really long time.
I used a coping saw to cut the scales, and a dremel and sandpaper for the rest.

Did you use the cutting wheel? Or something to actually grind?

Thanks,
Mark