Thread: 11/8 Custom Razor Buffalo Horn Scales Hand Forged A2

Very nice work Kenny. Would you by chance have any pictures of the process, directed more towards the hand forging work?

That is a gorgeous beast of a razor! Wow!

I'm also curious about the spine's width, though. Looks like a huge difference between this one and the spine on this 10/8 you posted a while back:



How come they can vary that much?

one word.....WOW!!!!

Originally Posted by northpaw

That is a gorgeous beast of a razor! Wow!

I'm also curious about the spine's width, though. Looks like a huge difference between this one and the spine on this 10/8 you posted a while back:

How come they can vary that much?

I'm going to guess hand made with out die's so variation in material dictate's shape and size.. Just a guess.

Hello Northpaw,

I certainly do appreciate your kind remarks on this razor and your great question. About the spine width. Infidel is correct on his comment concerning dies or such since I grind all my blades free hand on stones. I don't recommend this, just how I got started. I'm sure in due time I'll likely get a 2x72 built. I did pick up a hardness tester lot too long ago so I'm getting a little further out of the dark ages. lol. However, the thickness of the spine and blade design in this case, was long train of thought on my part. (Maybe too long!) Anyway, my goal was to make what by most standards is considered a huge razor, to a weight level that is not "over the top". Though unorthodox and perhaps a considered by some a no,no, I decided to use steel choice and a narrower spine as means by which I might shave this weight. Thought process being, I could achieve proper hardness with increased durability/strength, get a good hollow, thin edge and minimal flex at the blade. I have worked with A2 steel on knives and have had a good experience with the steel itself. (Of course knives are whole nother ball game but the steel type and qualities were what I was after) I did have to take into account that this narrow spine would ultimately place the blade outside the bounds of the traditional 4:1 ratio which produces perhaps something close to an 11 degree bevel set +/-. I do realize that these ratios may not be considered absolute by all standards and that there are most likely are some mathematical variances to these ratios when dealing with a smile or different razor shapes... but they are what I have been taught to be a good reference so I do consider them "pretty important'. That being said, I assumed that I would not likely be able to have my cake and eat it too. So, I chose weight reduction knowing that I would need to make up for the spine thickness in the honing process which I was able to do without too much fuss. Chose A2 to give me that little extra umph in strength. Anyway, these were my thoughts going into it and this razor is what popped out. LOL. On a side note, I am not by any means justifying my choices here, they were just choices I made in this case.

Best Regards
Kenny

Hello CTKnife,

I'll be forging another blade in the near future so I'll definitely try to get some taken on the next go round. Presently I am using a double Venturi burner gas forge that I built. I do a little pattern welding when I'm not working on razors, so I needed to have something capable of achieving welding temps. Presently I have a couple of old anvils a Peter Wright 1 1 7 and an old junk Hayden. Just got the Wright a few months ago and really like it compared to the old one. So, a basic set up as the forging goes. I certainly would not mind building a Power Hammer at some point but have not gotten around to it. I see from your avatar there, you may do quite a little forging. Any preference on the Blown vs Venturi? I really like the latter, seems to keep the scale down some but that may just be a matter of opinion or experience. Anyway, I'm getting off track, I'll see what I can do on some pics. Thanks for the inquiry!

Best Regards
Kenny

Originally Posted by rangerdvs

Hello,

Just finished up last evening, this custom razor. As you may know I really enjoy the larger razors and this one is certainly the largest that I have made to date. May not be everyones cup of tea at 11/8 but always fun to push the limits a bit. It really feels comfortable in hand and for such a large razor, comfortable and fun to shave with. (my opinion of course) Total weight is right at 3 oz. (I originally posted it at just over 4 oz but I had made an error.)

Hand forged on the anvil from 1/2 x 2" A2 bar stock. I typically try to forge to shape with a good edge pack and then of course use a stock removal process for the master grinds and other finish work. Not the easiest steel to work with since it forges over 1800 degrees.

The finish is "mirror" although not 100% imperfection free. It is however very shiny clean and reflective. A2 can really give fits on the mirror finish as opposed to 01. Of course this is just my opinion since I likely have a more limited experience with A2 as compared to many of you out there.

The scales are black Buffalo Horn with a ting of dark brown. In fact you can see bright light through them. These are buffed to a high polish. My amateur photos cannot do this material justice. I really enjoy working with buffalo horn and know why many of the traditional makers from times past used it. It really is beautiful material.

The front pin is a little experimental design that I came up with. Thought it looked like two horns. Its different I guess. All pinning is stainless.

Well, thats about it. Let me know what you think, I value your opinion.

Best Regards
Kenny

I don't know if i can ask you on the open forum or not (sorry if i can't) but where can i purchase your work? i want to purchase one like this! thanks PM me if need be!