My first RSO

So it is only 2mm k460 stock and I need three layers of tape to get to an angle that actually resembles 15deg inclusive... i have only up to 1600 grit stones... the rest are buffing compound loaded strops and an old cotton webbing belt with a leather strap...

to sharpen i lighten up substantially on the stone for many strokes and then move to coarser buffing compound then finer where i remove the tape so i can apply some pressure to get the compound to flow a bit and still not force the edge around... ditto for the webbing and the leather strap. I think a more complete setup will be much easier... and efficient... and i do not suggest the above as the way to go... merely what is "working" while i learn to do make these things...

It shaves... better than a gyuto...[emoji48] and i haven't shaved in a long time due to the razor rash i used to develop with those 3bladed thingies... so i am still not keen to do the jaw line... i have no razor rash now... not even my throat, which was always a pain... the rest of my shaving kit is our normal bath soap... normal in that we use it generally in the house... but i am fine if my children take a bite out of the soap... so it is actually very gentle coconut oil based soaps... my brush and shaving soap and balm is on the way though...

My wife did her legs yesterday and it would appear that she thinks it is about as good at removing hair as the disposables... although needing a bit more care... with less to go into the landfill... might get her a de at some point... and of course she dislikes the chemicals in the lubricating strips on the razors... we tend to have nothing in the house where we mind eating any of ingredients... strange i know and thw alkali to make the soap alone would be an exception...

The next one is getting sharpened at the moment and the indication is that the geometry and heat treat is better...

I need to make normal western scales though... this kamisori thing is quite stressful putting away... or even down...

Used a 3"wheel and heat treated in the fire place. It is too light will get heavier stock soon...

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Very nice Andre.

Is that your first attempt at razor making?

Ja... it started off a bit different it was a bit of design by grinder... it started more similar to this one...Attachment 208808

I've been talking to Jan Wahl, the knifemaker, about a razor. He came up with a great design and when he showed me the profile of the blade I realised it was a Kamisori. Jan wasn't aware of Western style grinds such full hollows, quarter hollows etc but I've now set him straight. :)

Haha you might want to look at Neels vd Berg's razors... also Jack Connan. David van der merwe has some kamisori as well...

Congrats, looks like you are off to a heck of a good start. Funny what you can make do with if you have had previous experience in a related field and can relate that to a new one. :D Looking forward to seeing other razors that you will be making.

Since this experience turned out so well just wait till your proper shave soap and brush come in. I'll bet that will give you an even better experience.

Bob

Thanks... i am itching to get some 4-8mm O1... i might even finish sand those...

You are off to a good start, my first RSO's were nowhere near that nice. Now make another ------- and another :)

Charlie

Judging by the angles i have to use to shave, it is probably more shavette sharp than razor sharp...

Will have to improve... stones or steel... sigh...

Experience in the work will come with time, but the beginning has been done, then just practice.

Mmm... tried something different sharpening wise on the newer rso... in between the 1600 grit and the loaded strop i put a wet hard granite sharpening step... with an extra layer of tape as the bevels were getting a bit wide and there was substantial hone wear on the spine... i believe the thin 2mm stock and 3" wheel trying to keep geometry right is just not quite a deep enough hollow...

Anyways that made for quite an improvement i.t.o. sharpness i could pass the hanging hair test with wet hair mostly and it seems that the cut was more agressive. I shaved this morning with it and whilst i could shave at a lower angle my skin was a bit tender afterwards... so i am assuming i should do more polishing on it to get the edge smoother and make sure there is no burr left. Not that i could spot a burr.

Would i recommend using a granite slab to sharpen... it is worth a try if you have some laying about that is polished and clean and you like playing. I doubt it would replace the more expensive well known stones even just your basic good stones should cut faster and be generally easier to work with... now for trying the other type of granite... and the marble... in the workshop...

Nice work!

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Originally Posted by AndreGrobler

Mmm... tried something different sharpening wise on the newer rso... in between the 1600 grit and the loaded strop i put a wet hard granite sharpening step... with an extra layer of tape as the bevels were getting a bit wide and there was substantial hone wear on the spine... i believe the thin 2mm stock and 3" wheel trying to keep geometry right is just not quite a deep enough hollow...

Anyways that made for quite an improvement i.t.o. sharpness i could pass the hanging hair test with wet hair mostly and it seems that the cut was more agressive. I shaved this morning with it and whilst i could shave at a lower angle my skin was a bit tender afterwards... so i am assuming i should do more polishing on it to get the edge smoother and make sure there is no burr left. Not that i could spot a burr.

Would i recommend using a granite slab to sharpen... it is worth a try if you have some laying about that is polished and clean and you like playing. I doubt it would replace the more expensive well known stones even just your basic good stones should cut faster and be generally easier to work with... now for trying the other type of granite... and the marble... in the workshop...

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Does this refer to setting the initial bevel? Not to hijack but I think I basically wore out a DMT220 on 2-3 work pieces... Does silicon carbide on granite work for this? Another option I have been considering for this is the Nubatama Ume 60 or 120 grit from CKTG.

Anyway, nice work!

Oh... sorry for the miscommunication... i use the granite as a separate sharpening step... bevel setting is done on an 800 grit king stone... i would expect a 1000grit dmt would cut quicker than a 220 on hard steels... look for the science of sharp blog... you would need to apply much oressure to make the coarser grits cut in my experience...

I am partaking a swop build... in SA...

a group of knifemakers are building straight razors according to a standard design, all the participants will then enter in a draw and then the razors are swopped according to the result of the draw...

We are assisted by Jack Connan who has been making and using straight razors for a while...

Here is the start of my process... don't hold your breath... i am very slow... one for the inevitable oops! Moment... mm... how's about i do the rest of the steel too

Steel is 5mm O1 or k460 from bohler... and this design the grind height is right on 3.5x the thickness of the spine... i will leave a bit of extra at the edge to make space for the oops! Moments...

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I have been practicing grinding thin on a pairing knife and i got to 0.2mm (1/127") all along the edge evenly about 1mm (1/25") behind the edge... so with a bit of practice i could get it down thinner still aiming for about 0.1mm... which is what appears needed. I grind wet after about a 60grit belt as a precaution...

I will use a 3" contact wheel so i suspect we can call it a half round?

Decided to rather go with 3.7x thickness and change layout to allow more blades...
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Some progress on the swap razor project...

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So... why 1/16" pins? Surely a slightly thicker on will wear less quickly, have less friction, bend less during pinning? What am i missing?

There's a little bit of design by grinder in these... please feel welcome to give crit... if you tell me why its a stuff up i'll gladly listen... is sort of stop when it feels right on my hand with the proviso the edges will be radiused still... any other ways to go about it?

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Well i am going to use 2mm pins. That is the brass i got at the hardware store... doesnt seem to need annealing either. What is 1/50" between novices... Thought it might need annealing from the drawing process...

So maybe this question peaks someones interest... i fashioned the smily edge razors as the pictures above, and the tangs are a bit more droopy than what i am used to seeing, is this an issue? I kike the lok and it'll make for straightish scales which i like..? And to my hand it sorta feels more controllable, but now i wonder... should i have rather tilted them up?

Looking good! Looks like you may have gotten the "bug", careful as it can be incurable. Thin the tails down some.

Cool, thanks have been thinking about that... don't know how to balance the weight of these things yet... and noticed that the bottom of the tang towards the rear doesnt really contribute to the grip you have on it... lets see if i can keep the lines looking ok...

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Some progress... but the spine still has a curve to it... so i first have to fix that... and the edge is running slightly non parallel... to the centreline... lucky i stopped when i thought i was still ahead...

Tips welcome crits too...

Damn hard to keep that spine line perfect. Maybe do a trial bevel and see how that guides the next steps. I'm a newbie though.

Will try that...

Eish... no need... the uneven edge lifts by about 1/50" if the spine is flat on a hone... at least it can still be fixed... i stopped early enough...

Make sure to get that part of the spine above the heel in line. Otherwise it causes the blade to ride up.

With a straight edge, you need the spine totally parallel.

Mmm... this will be tricky... luckily i have 3 more

Or grind it down as you go on the coarse stones (diamond).

You still have enough meat there to get the spine right. Don't rush it, you will get it. Looking great so far!

Thanks! I have been pondering the grind for a few hours and barring stuffups i think it may still work out...

Somebody said on here before (I think it was Charlie Lewis) that you don't make mistakes you just make smaller razors!

Mmm... i see a coochie razor coming... this is a 6/8 - 7/8 so there's a little wiggleroom i guess... had i known i would have started with 8/8s

The grinding issue you see is just lack of experience. Over time you'll see this happening less and less because you correct things before they're visible.

Thanks... that dip in the grind line seems to dog the knives i make too... mostly i seem to correct it in the end, but here it seems to be getting worse... does it happen because of uneven pressure? Or not having the edge parallel to the grinder?

At least i got the spine flat and parallel today with a flat surface and 80 grit... the thickness of the spine varies with less than 0.05mm i hope that is sufficient...

You can also see things like this if the spine is uneven. The place where the dip is could be caused if the spine is thicker there, causing the hollow to run up further than the other places.

I have flattened and parallelled the spine now now and it seems the one side is more even the other still has the dip...

Close but no cigar...
I got the edge thin enough 0.15mm... but theres some 60grit scratches that will probably make the blade disappear... and the edge wanders over from the one side to the other by about 0.3mm.
The grind is too high... so the ratios are just over 4:1... so all in all i could set a bevel and get a decent edge with 3 layers of tape. With that the ratios are just more than 3.5:1... it has popped arm hairs off easily since my 800 grit bevel setting stone... i have since managed to strop it blunt again...

This will be my razor, until i can build me a better one, as it really shouldnt leave the house...

It is much better than the other one i use... it can do a wet against the grain hht... mostly so there is room for improvement...

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Just keep at her, you're getting better every try. Looking forward to seeing more postings.

Bob

Thanks BobH... appreciated the kind w

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The problem with getting in a hurry to finish something nice is that... you get to start all over again...

I cracked the scales and managed to lock up the razor a bit too tight...