My first self made razor

I finally finished my first self made razor.

http://msmvps.com/cfs-file.ashx/__ke...6.Elegance.JPG

It is a 15/16 quarter hollow. It is too thin for its width, so I made a brass shim for honing, which brings the angle back to 14 degrees. Still a tad on the thin side, but it'll do. The steel comes from Mike Blue, who also did the heat treatment.

I started with a scrap, and removed everything that was not razor. I named the blade 'Elegance' to have some inspiration for shaping it. Weird as it sounds, that helps.

The scales are french oak, and the spacers are purpleheart. insides are coated with ca several times, and the outsides are coated with antiques wax. Scales are not my strong point, but I try to make something that fits the design. The thinness of the blade required a third pin, and I decided to make a purpleheart rest that is held in place by the pin. This also allowed my to make relatively narrow scales that don't cover the blade fully.

There are a couple of minor issues with this blade that I'll try to prevent with the next one. The most annoying one is that my mark fell off during the etch process. You can still see the shadow, but it is not good. Still, the issues are minor, and this is only a prototype after all. I sold it to one of our members at cost. I thought of keeping it myself, but I have trouble enough letting go of my restored sheffields. This way my blades are used and I get feedback. And I am saving up for a quality grinder so I can use some cash.

Honing this blade was a bit of a challenge. The blade was harder than the sheffields I am used to. It took quite a long time on the stones, and 3 test shaves, but in the end it gave me a very good shave.

Nice job and very original. :) I'm sure the next one will be even better. I would have had a hard time letting that one go, but your logic is sound. :)

And so it begins, your in it now. It's a slippery slope that leads to your own blacksmith's shop. Nice job on this one.

Beautiful Bruno!!!

Lynn

I like it, Bruno.

Very nice Bruno!! :tu:tu Congrats on a job well done. :nj

Whoa whoa whoa....

I see a huge problem with that razor, man !!!!

You didn't even give me a chance to shave with it, that is just all wrong :)


One down, many more to go, Congrats Bruno !!!

WOW! That is one nice razor, great work! I like the shape of the tang and the blade.

Charlie

Bravo!! That looks fantastic Bruno!

James.

That's super cool! And yes, I think the name fits. Awesome!

Awesome Bruno! Elegance is nice name. Look forward to seeing more of your work!

Bruno, nice job for your first razor. I wouldn't be too hard on yourself with your scales. I like the look and French Oak? OOOlala

Great job Bruno!!!! It looks awesome and now you're in deep,,,, when are you starting on the next one?

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.

Not too many of us have had the pleasure of shaving with a self-made razor. Congratulations. It looks great!

Sadly, the chocolate I got is long gone... but the lessons remain.

Very nice Bruno, very nice.

Wow Bruno. !!! Great work. I would love to make something like that.
What did yo use to cut & grind ?

Go Bruno !

Go Bruno !

Go Bruno !

Go Bruno !

:)

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

Wow Bruno. !!! Great work. I would love to make something like that.
What did yo use to cut & grind ?

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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.

Very nice work and congratumulations for the first razor. The organic curve (at least, that's what it looks like to me) at the point and scales looks very elegant.

Well done and good luck on your second one!

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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.

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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.;):D

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

Thats a good looking razor there man. Beautiful work
Grant

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Originally Posted by JMS

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

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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 :beer2:

Great job!

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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.

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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.:tu

Well done, Bruno!

nate

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

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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.

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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.

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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!.

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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.

Quote:

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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.:tu

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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. :)