Custom Mahogany Razor

Hello everyone! Here is a razor I built within a 10 week period. Within those ten weeks I learned as much as I could of the craft as well as started to build it. Not enough time at all to learn all of the skill needed but enough to get me by for the senior project that this was for.

The blade was cut from 1084 bar stock using a band saw to get the over all shape of the blade. I then reduced the overall thickness of the stock using an end mill to a thickness which if I remember was roughly .16 inch. Because I did not have access to any kind of grinding wheel in my schools shop I had to use files and sand paper to do a straight wedge grind.

The scales are made of mahogany and backed with galvanized steel for two reasons. 1) The mahogany flexed quite a bit because of the small thickness. and 2) It creates a barrier so no moisture from the blade can deteriorate the wood.

It is pinned with nickel/silver rod and washers.

Unfortunately I did not get it heat treated because of time which I had little of and resources.

The angle is roughly 12 degrees because that was recommended by many on the forums.

Any questions, comments, or feed back would be greatly appreciated.

Keep in mind this is my very FIRST blade and I have little experience in the craft yet and much to learn.

Thanks,

RyanAttachment 106295Attachment 106296

Nice way to learn!!! The Brush compliments it well. I know it will still need Heat treatment, but watch out for that shoulder when honing. Tell us how it strops up!

Very cool! Congrats!! And neat work!

Outstanding work!

Beautiful work, Ryan. I find the lines of the scales make for a very clean and different look.

Looks nice! scales are way cool!

That's great work, and resourceful use of the tools available. Will you get a chance to heat-treat it?

Yes, I will heat treat and then hone within the next few weeks at a local shop

How's the balance? Are you going to make a shim for honing it? Which forums recommend a 12 degree angle? Here's an example of some data this forum collected some time ago: http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...tml#post464472

In any event good on you for giving it a go!

James.

Wouldn't guess its your first. Did you make the brush too? they look great together

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Originally Posted by Tylerman

Wouldn't guess its your first. Did you make the brush too? they look great together

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Thanks! Yeah its my first haha. I did make the brush as well. I cannot take credit for the badger hair, those unfortunately I did not make haha. But the handle and end cap were made by me. The brush handle on a wood lathe made from the same piece of mahogany I used for the razor and the steel cap on a metal lathe from some kind of steel round stock, I cant remember what kind. Then obviously hand sanded and polished. And a food safe beeswax was applied to the brush handle (since this is going near your mouth) to give it a good seal.

I consulted a few forums during research, it may have been someone at badger and blade? Im not entirely sure. The balance to be quite honest isn't perfect. The scales have some weight to them but I plan to correct this in future models. Thanks for the link I will check that out for sure!

I love how the wood grain doesn't run the length of the scales. It makes for a very different look. looks like you definitely have some talent in your machining skills!

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Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY

I love how the wood grain doesn't run the length of the scales. It makes for a very different look. looks like you definitely have some talent in your machining skills!

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Thanks! yeah that was intentional. Mahogany has a great grain that almost looks like tiger stripes when light reflects off of it. I wanted to show that off. If the grain ran parallel with the scales it would increase the structural integrity but i feel as though the texture of the grain would be sacrificed.

Attachment 106329Attachment 106330Attachment 106331

Here are some more images of the razor along with all the complimentary products. I purposely made the blade so that the spine runs parallel with the top line of the scales.

The toiletry bag is for the razor to be carried in and a slim wallet for cards and such. All of these were based around the razor.

This probably would go a bit against the grain, but we should remember we're a shaving forum for straight razors, not objects resembling razors.

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Originally Posted by DentonSupply

Because I did not have access to any kind of grinding wheel in my schools shop I had to use files and sand paper to do a straight wedge grind.

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If you ever manage to properly heat treat the steel you will find out that you won't be able to properly hone this thing. You can use a shim to get around this, but as it is with the current 'design' I will bet good money that you won't be able to get a good shave out of it.

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Originally Posted by DentonSupply

The scales are made of mahogany and backed with galvanized steel for two reasons. 1) The mahogany flexed quite a bit because of the small thickness. and 2) It creates a barrier so no moisture from the blade can deteriorate the wood.

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Both of these reasons show that you have no idea what you are doing. If I were your professor/committee I would not have accepted such project and given you an F, for not doing proper research.
The scales are supposed to flex, and there should be no moisture whatsoever trapped on the blade/inside the scales.

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Originally Posted by DentonSupply

Unfortunately I did not get it heat treated because of time which I had little of and resources.

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Which means this is not a razor, not even close. Just a decorative object resembling one.

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Originally Posted by DentonSupply

The angle is roughly 12 degrees because that was recommended by many on the forums.

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You're not the first person to make such a mistake, but you made it after you supposedly researched the matter, another reason for my F grade. This angle is way too acute and you are gambling with the steel being able to take a shave-worthy edge (if you heat treat it properly).

As far as the shape, it is very unergonomic. If you had looked and studied the factory production razors you would notice that they don't have such an odd mass distribution. However, even without that, I assume that you have taken a basic college level physics/mechanics/engineering class, so you have no excuse for such bad ergonomics. (Yes, I am aware that I haven't seen the razor in person, but I learned the Newton's laws in high school, and can tell it's bad just from the picture

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Originally Posted by DentonSupply

Keep in mind this is my very FIRST blade and I have little experience in the craft yet and much to learn.

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As I said, in my view your project was a complete failure. You didn't do adequate research and made fundamental mistakes which were completely avoidable, had you done your job right.

I appreciate the constructive criticism! I understand there are a multitude of things wrong with the razor. It is not perfect by any means and I never said that it was.

I had roughly 3 weeks to research which in my opinion is the most crucial part as I am sure you would agree. 3 weeks is not nearly enough time to learn a craft that is perfected over years even decades. And you can only learn so much from reading forums and books, getting in there and building these things is where 90% of the learning takes place. When I started to delve into my research I was shocked and had to take a step back because of how much I realized goes into such a simple object.

If I had more time, keep in mind I only had 10 weeks to turn in a complete project from start to finish, I would have spent at least 2 months researching and interviewing experts. But the build had to start so that I could complete the final model on time.

I understand that the grind of the blade is nearly unable to be honed. It is possible, a friend of mine has a system that will do it but I am sure that it will be nowhere near the quality shave of a hollow grind. I spend close to 24 hours filing that blade to shape and quite honestly even though it may not be perfect I am damn proud of myself for shaping the entire thing by hand. And by hand I mean nothing but files and sand paper. The amount of sweat I put into it is alone an accomplishment in my eyes.

The grind and the hardening is an easy fix if I can get my hands on the proper tools but I did the best with what I had. Christopher Columbus didnt have gps, but he had the stars. He just did the best with the tools he had available.


And the biggest concern that you have is the ergonomics. Yes I stated above that the balance is a bit off. I have read that when opened to 110 degrees it should be fairly balanced. This could all change with the more ideal materials I will use in future designs such as stainless steel or a more dense wood such as ebony. But the actual feel of the blade is quite nice. Its not really something you can sense without actually picking it up and trying it. I agree because of the hard angles it does look uncomfortable but it isnt. When you put it in your hand you find yourself rolling your fingers over the edges (which are actually chamfered and not hard 90 degree).

I agree with you that this is nothing like a "factory production razor" that is why I posted it in the custom built section. Custom in my opinion generally means specific to a person or different form current trends. And the one thing that I did find in my research is that a lot of razors follow the same cookie cutter design. Why? These are beautiful object, passed down through the generations. Why would you want the same razor as the one your neighbor has? That is why I made such a unique design. If you are upset that I did not go the complete traditional route then I am sorry. But if people never broke tradition we would still think the world was flat and witches caused our crops to fail.


As for the flex of the scales Id like to ask why they must flex? Im curious because I may use this information in my future designs. Also what do you recommend as a good angle? I had gotten a multitude of answers and I just picked the average.

I appreciate all of your feed back as I think you are the first person to give me some usable info haha. If you want to give me a grade of F that is fine, but you are not my professor and I received an A on this project. The one thing I would ask you is to recognize that I have a passion for this craft and I am willing to learn. I could have taken the easy route and just given up or chose not to do this all together but I didnt. So while your criticism matters to me and trust me I can take negative criticism, I would ask that be a little less harsh on new comers because the attitude, at least what I perceived from your response was pretty negative.

I would expect an admin in this community, like yourself, to be a little more welcoming not ready to pounce on the new guy as soon as you get a chance.

He pointed out the truths because nobody else was,,,

Your Craftsmanship is excellent...

But you didn't build a Straight Razor, Form must follow Function,, Many custom guys make the same mistakes..

If you simply had taken one day with an actual Vintage Straight Razor, looked it over, and possibly even had it honed to shave with, all your questions would have been obvious...

BTW 12 degrees is NOT the average but don't feel like the Lone Ranger Hart Razors produced their first razors at a very low 12-13 degrees and recieved very harsh comments from this forum too...

Take the advice and learn from it

Well, you may have gotten an A, but if you apply for a job with me you wouldn't be invited for an interview. The point of going to school is to learn not to make basic mistakes like yours because in real life they are very expensive. So, given your grade and the lesson it taught you, I would say you are currently overpaying for your schooling.

As far as me being negative, this is not because I am not welcoming to new guys. It is because you are not a 'new guy' and I have watched you dismiss the learning opportunities you had right here on SRP. Only you know if you come here with a genuine interest to learn, or with a genuine interest in marketing, but either way you put your work for critique, so I am offerring something that can actually help you (and not only you, otherwise I could've written a PM).

I understand that you have put a lot of low-skill work into filing a piece of steel, but the reality is that this is not what you go to college for. At a college level you are supposed to demonstrate college level competence and skills. Again, may be this is hard to hear, but if it is, you are in for much harder lessons once you're out of college.

The problem with your ergonomics is that the razor is not going to be well balanced. Even if you make the scales lighter, in the normal shaving configuration you will have way too much torque on your fingers, which is bad ergonomics (and yes, this is very easy to estimate from a picture with a simple back on the envelope calculations if I must use my high-school knowledge). And that's a direct result from your thick grind and skinny shank, i.e. the 'design' that you see as a 'positive deviation from the beaten path'. It is not, not the least because you don't even know or understand the 'beaten path'.

So, if you have a passion for this craft, get a real razor that shaves, preferably half a dozen or so from early 1800s to early to mid 1900s, with at least one of them in shaving shape and try to get the others restored to shave properly. And if you shave with a straight razor for a month or two you will probably be in a position to recognize and admit that your 'design' is flawed due to poor ergonomics.

I'm sure you can figure out the scale flex part yourself, spoon-feeding you the answer is much less useful and satisfying than if you take the pointer and use it to learn something by thinking yourself. I already gave you a hint, as well.

Hi Ryan. Whether it works or not, I think the design shows great flair and I'm sure that you will take all the comments - both good and bad - into account in any future work you do. I would encourage you to take heart from the praise and take account of the faults that were pointed out, but whatever you do don't let the criticism put you off continuing.

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Originally Posted by UKRob

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

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+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.

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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.

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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. :gl:

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.