Thread: Genco in Ironwood (My First)

This is my first razor and first razor restoration.

I purchased this blade at an antique store for ten bucks. The blade was rusted and the handle was warped and cracked. (I'm sorry, I don't have any before photos.) I re-finished and honed the blade and pinned some temporary handles on it. I ordered a new pivot and teflon washers. With new hardware in hand, I made up the final scales from some flat-sawn desert ironwood with sapwood. The wedge spacer is ebony.

There are still a few pits and scratches in the blade. I'm not sure how good my honing and stropping skills are. It shaves better than anything else I've used, but that's not saying a lot. Also, the tang is tapered at the pivot, so it doesn't rotate as smoothly as I'd like. (Why the heck do they taper them like that?)





I've been shaving with this for about 2 months now, and I'm really enjoying it. I still have a long way to go with my straight razor kit (sharpening, lathering and so on). I don't feel it's too bad so far, considering the $15 total investment.

Phillip

the wood is most impressive.
the blade looks great too.

Kudos for a first job. The torx screws used compliment the scales and total look really well. You did extremely well.

Thanks for sharing.

Great job!

A very nice job indeed. The blade seems to be in a great condition, congrats!

Originally Posted by Maximilian

Kudos for a first job. The torx screws used compliment the scales and total look really well. You did extremely well.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks. It seems that pins are the preferred in the razor world. I chose screws because it makes takedown easy. I want to be able to change the scales in case I get bored with the current ones or something bad happens.

Originally Posted by PDobson

Also, the tang is tapered at the pivot, so it doesn't rotate as smoothly as I'd like. (Why the heck do they taper them like that?

The tang on razors SHOULD be tapered like that. The "wedge spacer" was traditionally (and in my mind still should be) an actual wedge, not just a parallel sided piece. The wedge should create a flex in the scales so that the scales, when coming back together at the pivot, follow the taper of the tang. There are a bunch of reasons for this which I won't go into (it's been posted before) but namely a parallel spacer creates more stress on the scales in more spots which causes problems down the line.

Originally Posted by Maximilian

Kudos for a first job. The torx screws used compliment the scales and total look really well. You did extremely well.

Thanks for sharing.

I noticed the screws right away as well. I think they look good combined with that wood and give an overall rugged look; the kind of razor you'd take when you go out on a hunting/fishing/camping trip.

Originally Posted by Philadelph

The tang on razors SHOULD be tapered like that. The "wedge spacer" was traditionally (and in my mind still should be) an actual wedge, not just a parallel sided piece. The wedge should create a flex in the scales so that the scales, when coming back together at the pivot, follow the taper of the tang. There are a bunch of reasons for this which I won't go into (it's been posted before) but namely a parallel spacer creates more stress on the scales in more spots which causes problems down the line.

Interesting.

The wedge I use is tapered because the scales need to be wider at the pivot than at the edge so that the blade stops on the scales. There is zero flex in the scales themselves. The material is too stiff. To provide clearance for the shoulders, I sculpted the inside of the scales. There is no flexing stress whatsoever in the scales. I see why it was done the other way with the thin plastic scales. It is definitely easier to mass-produce using that method.

If I were to redo the blade and scales, I would slightly taper the tang to match the (straight) taper of the handle. I would leave the area under the pivot perfectly parallel. I would then carve the scales themselves with a taper and recess for the shoulders, leaving the pivot area perfectly parallel. The result would be perfectly smooth operation with no handle stresses. I don't like the idea of keeping wood under constant flex.

Originally Posted by ionthejester

I noticed the screws right away as well. I think they look good combined with that wood and give an overall rugged look; the kind of razor you'd take when you go out on a hunting/fishing/camping trip.

Ha. I took it camping last week.