Thread: Custom Mahogany Razor

Originally Posted by UKRob

...don't let the criticism put you off continuing.

+1 to that idea. Your fit and finish shows real promise, no fault there. Design elements are subjective and those are not the fault either, but there are some minimum criteria that have to be there.

A razor must be a working tool. All the elements that make it a tool must be present, or it is not a capable tool. It must be capable of shaving. It must be capable of being honed by the end user. Or by one of the pro's who will be even more critical if the blade is not a ready tool. If it's not heat treated it will not be efficient at either of the first or second criteria. Third it must, for lack of a better concept, feel good in the hand, the ergonomic part. If it is missing features that are required or has features that interfere with it's function, like the shoulder (as one example), it will not meet the second criteria. Any early error compounds the later errors.

Solve the problem of what the basic criteria of the tool are 100% of the time (needs work), and then apply your skills (accomplished) to making it look good. There are many knife-like, sword-like bladed objects out there that look good but do not meet the basic requirement of a functional tool first. You have the rest of your life to practice making lots of blades and satisfying the tool and aesthetics of being a maker. I would not hang my reputation on the first, or second blades. Make a 1,000. Listen to the feedback from folks who will use these razors as tools. Adaptation equals survival.

I'm guessing the people that graded it did not know a thing about straight razors. So they were only looking at the form. At first I was turned off by the harshness of some of the responses but when I looked at the razor I noticed something. The razor would be impossible to hold with a standard grip. Given that you also made toiletry bag means you want the razor to be used. However, I cannot see using it. Though the razor does look pretty as far as lines and material used.

Anyway, I made some scales one time that looked cool but made it impossible to hold, thus strop. So I had to take them off. I am total amateur when it comes to making scales so I have kept it simple by making duplicates of the original scales. I still not make the wedges right. But I will keep on trying. Maybe in a few years, or dozen, I will get there. Hey, maybe never.

What class was this project for? I'm interested to know that.

How did you clamp it down when you milled it for thickness? I wonder, if you use a mill with a tilting head, if you can run a fly cutter a little off perpendicular and that way get your hollows machined. It'd help if you left the blade section long and maybe didn't shape the tail until afterward, so you'd have some good meaty steel for clamping but could then trim it--and the clamping scars--away.

I have no experience making razors, but have tinkered around in a machine shop a little.

I worked at a construction project a few years ago, as a second-year apprentice at the time, and it was a pretty badly staffed job. There was only one truly good craftsman among the electricians, and he was not a gentle personality. But I always went to him for feedback on work I was doing for the first time, because I knew the other guys didn't care if work was good or not. So most of my feedback experiences were unpleasant, but I bore that so they'd be useful.

Best wishes and keep at it.

Originally Posted by roughkype

I worked at a construction project a few years ago, as a second-year apprentice at the time, and it was a pretty badly staffed job. There was only one truly good craftsman among the electricians, and he was not a gentle personality. But I always went to him for feedback on work I was doing for the first time, because I knew the other guys didn't care if work was good or not. So most of my feedback experiences were unpleasant, but I bore that so they'd be useful.

Best wishes and keep at it.

I started out teaching myself to tattoo in my basement when I lived in No Jersey. My rational was that if I learned before I ran out of friends ...... anyway, I took a guy I had done a forearm piece on to a local pro tattooer for his evaluation of my skills at the time. He said, "I see your lines are shaky and your having trouble getting the color in."

It hurt a bit and my friend/customer liked the tattoo anyway ..... but I had a long way to go and the pro became a sort of mentor for me as time went on.

I don't like the design of the razor workmanship aside. Just a personal preference. If they're not traditional shapes, whether they are $600 for sale at SRD or homemade, I don't like them. I'll grade an A for effort if nothing else IMHO.

Looking at your pictures I think you should forget about razors and continue making brushes. It's a very basic design but the metal cap gives it a little bit extra. Being able to turn both wood and metal will give you an edge over most woodworkers.

I do think your choice of a food safe wax finish was wrong. There's really no need for it to be food safe and I'm not sure if wax alone provides a good lasting protection against water. There are several ways you can finish a brush properly which should be easy enough to use next time you make a brush.