Thread: Custom wedge blades for lather catchers

Lather catchers and other vintagewedge-type SE razors like the Henckels Rapide are the closest thing you can get to a straight razor without actually using a straight. It's like having a straight razor on a stick.

Originally Posted by 32t

Unsexy for sure and little room to make your own style. Half the length of a standard straight but in some ways very much more restrictive than a custom straight. If I try to make a custom 8/8 and I make a mistake then end up with a 7/8 unless I tell you you won't know. With these to narrow won't work.

Just throwing out some numbers for thought but $400 USD for a custom razor would be cheap in my mind. Nothing special in the steel or scale material. Say the blade is worth 3/4 of that for sake of argument. Take that blade in half and you have $150. Not a whole lot of money if any for the maker at these prices.

I searched a little and these razors are say $40 and 7 day set in a box $150. I can't see much of a market for $150 dollar blades. Especially when a standard SE will at least work.

With that being said as a hobbyist I would be interested in the exact dimensions to make one for the sake of saying I did.

I think that someone must have make modern versions of these for themselves and fun but I don't see a market to support a reason to do it if profit is the point

All of the above.
For the moment I'm doing one just for the sake of it and because I am curious.

In terms of making them, there is no way to make them in a style that is mine, and as you say the dimensions need to be spot on.
The pricing argument is correct as well, and these will not take whole lot less time to make. My time is generally measured in $/hour for custom work. The same rates will not hold for what is essentially production line work.

The one thing where I may make a difference is making them in damascus steel, and making tooling for my press so that I can press them out almost at finished size.
Depending on how much time I need to make a run of x pieces, it may be economically viable.

I really don't think there is going to be much of a market in the price range I normally work in.
Even with tooling, there is no chance I'll start working at the price of whatever these things are worth on ebay.
I think that even with tooling, the only way for this to even have a chance of catching on is using specialty steel,
where a maker could basically tack on the difference between a damascus blade and a carbon steel blade.
And then it will depend on whether that demographic cares for such steel.

It could also be a place to use up bits of steel that are basically too small for other blades. If you had the tool no for your press set up and once’s a month used odd pieces of Damascus and made a few blades and never saturated the market it could work.
I have several sets of the Rapide made by Henckels. I’d like to find a Rapide made in France before Henckels bought them out. I have never seen one. If my memory of the history is correct, Rapide of France was the first company to patent a safety razor and it was in 1876, and the wedge razor was born.

Consider making FORGED lengths of the metal and cutting off after heat treat ? / ? Easier to finish grind and handle!
JMO
~Richard

Originally Posted by Bruno

All of the above.
For the moment I'm doing one just for the sake of it and because I am curious.

In terms of making them, there is no way to make them in a style that is mine, and as you say the dimensions need to be spot on.
The pricing argument is correct as well, and these will not take whole lot less time to make. My time is generally measured in $/hour for custom work. The same rates will not hold for what is essentially production line work.

The one thing where I may make a difference is making them in damascus steel, and making tooling for my press so that I can press them out almost at finished size.
Depending on how much time I need to make a run of x pieces, it may be economically viable.

I really don't think there is going to be much of a market in the price range I normally work in.
Even with tooling, there is no chance I'll start working at the price of whatever these things are worth on ebay.
I think that even with tooling, the only way for this to even have a chance of catching on is using specialty steel,
where a maker could basically tack on the difference between a damascus blade and a carbon steel blade.
And then it will depend on whether that demographic cares for such steel.

Project is still on then! Just waiting on a few more razors to come in to see if the blade I'm going to send you fits on all of them. Seeing these wedge blades in damascus steel would be AMAZING but I can image it would cost a small fortune. One day...

Originally Posted by RezDog

It could also be a place to use up bits of steel that are basically too small for other blades. If you had the tool no for your press set up and once’s a month used odd pieces of Damascus and made a few blades and never saturated the market it could work.
I have several sets of the Rapide made by Henckels. I’d like to find a Rapide made in France before Henckels bought them out. I have never seen one. If my memory of the history is correct, Rapide of France was the first company to patent a safety razor and it was in 1876, and the wedge razor was born.

Hmmm, you might be correct. I think the French hoe-type razors came first and then the patent was released which then opened up the doors for others to create similar razors. I just picked up a version 4 Rapide, full set with blades, can't wait to get it!

Originally Posted by Geezer

Consider making FORGED lengths of the metal and cutting off after heat treat ? / ? Easier to finish grind and handle!
JMO
~Richard

It depends. if the tooling was worked out enough that I could more or less stamp them out individually, they would be almost ready for heat treatment without additional work.
Making 1 long blade, say about 12" long would be doable as well.

If we think more in lines of stock removal, I am thinking something like Charlie Lewis' double wheel grinder.
If we would add a guide orthogonally to the wheels, we could take a bar of steel and run it back and forth until it was hollowed out properly, and heat treated like that.

Wonder if Victor’s surfacing jig could be employed, might be a good way to overheat a ht’d blade though.

I think your idea for a forge form on the press would be best, you’d need a helluva an order in order to make fabricating one make financial sense. Maybe get some punches and swages cnc’d out of h13...

Gents,

After much thought, I have decided to cancel this project.

I started out wanting to do this due to the fact that I had several lather catcher razors and only a few wedge blades. I have since acquired a few razor sets each with a full compliment of blades in excellent condition (I now have 10 Heljestrand and 5 Henckels blades).

As such, I am no longer in need of blades. While it would still be a great project to attempt to recreate one of these and while any sort of etched blade from Bruno would be incredible, unfortunately shipping from California to Belgium, round trip, will cost me close to, if not more than, $100. That's too much seeing as I no longer need a blade.

Therefore, my only choice is to scrap this idea. Thanks to all who pitched in with the great input and thanks to Bruno who was ready and willing to give his time and effort to try to recreate a blade for me!

This might be a fun idea for a project or at least discussion at the next Texas meet.

Originally Posted by 32t

This might be a fun idea for a project or at least discussion at the next Texas meet.

Yes!
I like that idea