Thread: My first self made razor

Originally Posted by DPflaumer

Very nice for sure! I can't wait to see your future projects. And I'm sure you will keep us all in the loop should you ever decide to go into business.

Will do, though I am not starting a business just yet for several reasons.

At this moment I am still in the stage where I follow my feelings and try to make something nice. I have 2 more projects underway, and each one looks very different from this one (and from each other). The major thing to me is being able to follow my instincts, and not work to order.

Also, this one got sold almost accidentally when the future owner asked 'been doing anything interesting lately?' in chat. Regardess of what I choose, I'll also have to think about the tax implications. Some IRS agents here use google to do a quick check on people, and showing up as a commerical entity can cause problems.

At the moment I want to work by the principle of making what I want, at my own pace, and then finding someone to sell it to, so that I can buy or build a good grinder. Currently it is more about being able to pay my tools than about making money. That said, I will need to figure this out sooner rather than later, because I want to be able to sell my blades when they are done, with minimal hassle. And for some reason, I feel reluctant to just dump them in the classifieds.

Very nice Bruno!
You can always send me that razor instead of the Grimbergin Trippel you promised.

That is one beautiful razor!
Good job Bruno, I'm looking forward to seeing your next one!

Thats a good looking razor there man. Beautiful work
Grant

Originally Posted by JMS

Very nice Bruno!
You can always send me that razor instead of the Grimbergin Trippel you promised.

Hah he's trying to get away easy, he should be offering you a Grimbergen Cuvée de l'Hermitage ;-)

Wow, Bruno it looks amazing, absolutely awesome. And thanks to the Grimbergen comment I saw (only just now) you're from Belgium. After Bart we get Bruno, soon I'll have to start doing something noteworthy too it seems!

The razor looks fantastic, I love the damasc pattern style like that, unfortunately those razors cost a small fortune whenever they pop up on the bay!

So from what I understood, you took scrap metal, and turned it in that piece of art right there? Freaking great

Great job!

Originally Posted by Bruno

The steel I started with had approximately the right dimensions, so I did not have to cut much. Shaping the features of the razor was done with a dremel, and I ground the blade surface with my self made 20$ grinder.

Respect!!! With this tools your work is really awesome. Could you show us some more pictures? Hope you will get a "real" beltsander as soon as possible, I think it will be interessting to see what you will grind with it

That is really good work on the blade! Congratulations on your success.

I agree with using Damascus made by Mike Blue. I have been to Mikes workshop many times and have seen a bunch of Damascus that he has made. He has a ton of experience with steel and making Damascus so I have confidence in his steel. Mike is a real "Metal Head" !

Getting a piece of steel that is thick enough for a 8/8 razor is not easy. A 1/4" thick piece is usually not enough. By the time all the grinding & buffing is done you lose some of the thickness. On my next order of steel (1095) I will be getting some that is 3/8" thick to start with (hot rolled) and reserve that for the very large blades of 7/8" & 8/8". Just an idea for you.

Honing a handmade razor is a lot of fun! You get real "quality time" spending hours getting to know your steel and hones...LOL!.

I agree with your desire to make what suits you and not work from a fixed pattern or to someone else's specification. This hobby of ours should remain a pleasure and not become merely a job or work.

You have done very well with the tools that you have. I hope to see more.

Well done, Bruno!

nate

Bruno- That's totally cool and original. Very nice for a first shot. I'm impressed!

Originally Posted by randydance062449

That is really good work on the blade! Congratulations on your success.

I agree with using Damascus made by Mike Blue. I have been to Mikes workshop many times and have seen a bunch of Damascus that he has made. He has a ton of experience with steel and making Damascus so I have confidence in his steel. Mike is a real "Metal Head" !

Getting a piece of steel that is thick enough for a 8/8 razor is not easy. A 1/4" thick piece is usually not enough. By the time all the grinding & buffing is done you lose some of the thickness. On my next order of steel (1095) I will be getting some that is 3/8" thick to start with (hot rolled) and reserve that for the very large blades of 7/8" & 8/8". Just an idea for you.

It's true that they were far too thin. Not even 1/4". As I said, they started their life as leftover scraps. Their dimensions were dictated by the projects from which they were left over. The initial honing angle would have been 10 degrees.

I could have turned it into a 5/8 perhaps, but I really hate anything smaller than 6/8. I don't hone anything smaller, I don't restore anything smaller, and I definitely won't make anything smaller.

And of course, it would have meant more metal removal, with a really slow grinder. Grinding the blade surface was already a chore.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Honing a handmade razor is a lot of fun! You get real "quality time" spending hours getting to know your steel and hones...LOL!.

It was quite a task, and took a couple of tries. But I cleaarly remember the stroke in which I knew the edge was ready. I was doing pyramids on my norton 4/8, and suddenly I got the effect where the razor starts cutting underneath the water, and the water itself doesn't seem to move anymore. one pyramid later I finished on my nakayama.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

I agree with your desire to make what suits you and not work from a fixed pattern or to someone else's specification. This hobby of ours should remain a pleasure and not become merely a job or work.

You have done very well with the tools that you have. I hope to see more.

Quite true. I already have a job to make money. This is something I do for fun. The money is just something to allow me to pay for the tools and raw materials. You'll definitely see more of my razors. Hopefully before the end of next month.