Quote Originally Posted by Harvitz81 View Post
Agree on everything that has been said. 3/16 stock is too narrow for an 8/8 blade unless you plan on using 5+ layers of electrical tape.

I keep the edges to 0.032 to 0.064 before heat treat to not warp. 0.04-0.05 is probably what I shoot for most of the time.

1095 is a hard steel to work with while starting out. I would recommend an oil quench over water while starting out with this steel to get the hang of things.

You really need to use a fast quench oil for best results with 1095 though. Parks #50 or Houghton -Quench K are probably best. They are expensive and Parks is notoriously hard to find. Houghton will sell small quantities, but it is pricey too.

Make sure to taper that tang as has been mentioned.

I would also suggest to not take your grind all the way to the spine. I actually leave a good 1/4" or more pre-heat treat and post-heat treat I always shoot for a small sliver remaining.

For a first razor though I would recommend grabbing some 1084 or O1. Much easier to work with and you can successfully quench in something simple like heated canola oil.
Duly noted, thank you. I'm a real sucker for symmetry, and I accidentally bumped the fresh 36 belt on the spine and muffed it up - so I just had to take both to full-height. In fact, I only photographed the left side of the razor because the ricasso on the right side is ever so slightly blended. Grr!

On the topic of tapering the tang however - is there a more efficient way than just heating and hammering? That seemed to give me the most crisp and even looking taper. On the grinder, things just went too fast, and had to be cleaned up a lot.

Thank you for sharing your process, I really appreciate the help and comments from everyone.