Thread: Work In Progress

Here is a mock up of my current project. After getting the new forge fired off for the first time yesterday, I needed something to test it out on so I pounded this out of an old truck spring. I hope to get it done today or tomorrow. The next step is heat treating unless I decide to add some more jimping to it. Then I'll finish grind the blade.

Here she is. I still need to make an edge protector and electro etch my initials on the blade, but other than that it is done. The test shave went really well.

The edge protector is complete. I know that it looks like it may damage the edge, but I built it in such a way that the edge should never contact the Kydex. I had five layers of tape on each side of the blade near the edge when I molded the Kydex. Also, it locks against the spine of the blade, not the edge.

I know as well that this razor is nowhere near traditional, but I've been wanting to make a razor like this for some time. To me it's like the best of east and west, traditional and modern. It's my favorite razor steel with my favorite grind and my favorite handle. It was really fun to shave with

So you wanted a razor like this - you had the skills to make a razor like this - and you produced a razor that is really fun to shave with (and for my 2 cents pretty cool looking). I say well sir, well done!

Nice razor. Shows some serious skill.

I find the point a bit scary, but that’s personal preference.

Now that you’ve ticked all the boxes, what’s next?

Originally Posted by DZEC

Now that you’ve ticked all the boxes, what’s next?

Thanks guys. I'm not sure what's next razor wise. Right now I have a bar of D2 siting on the bench that I need to make into a Puma style hunting knife for a friend.

I've also received some requests for "razor looking" knives. Basically just make a straight razor but don't grind the edge so thin, and then sharpen it at a 20 degree angle. These have been requested by people who like the looks of razors but don't know how to use them. So they want to use them as kind of a fancy pocket knife. I don't know how I feel about that though. I mean, to each his own but a razor takes a lot more technique to make than a knife. To me that is kind of like making a Ford Pinto that looks a little like a Mustang and calling it a Mustang II. Also, I can see that causing confusion for people and problems for me in the future when someone tries to shave with one of them.

Case and I believe Shrade, made pocket knives with a blade, shaped like a razor. Would take a edge like one, too.

Used to have one, but it got fingered by someone.

Mine was similar to this one.

Now I could go for that. I don't think that anyone would confuse it with an actual straight razor.

Very creative. I like it. Funny from a side view it looks full hollow but from the end it looks like a wedge. Glad it was what you wanted. It sure looks cool.

Originally Posted by DVW

Thanks guys. I'm not sure what's next razor wise. Right now I have a bar of D2 siting on the bench that I need to make into a Puma style hunting knife for a friend.

I've also received some requests for "razor looking" knives. Basically just make a straight razor but don't grind the edge so thin, and then sharpen it at a 20 degree angle. These have been requested by people who like the looks of razors but don't know how to use them. So they want to use them as kind of a fancy pocket knife. I don't know how I feel about that though. I mean, to each his own but a razor takes a lot more technique to make than a knife. To me that is kind of like making a Ford Pinto that looks a little like a Mustang and calling it a Mustang II. Also, I can see that causing confusion for people and problems for me in the future when someone tries to shave with one of them.

For me personally that would be a no-go unless there was a very big difference visually so that one would never be confused as the other. My main activity or source of income from blades is razor. If I started making pretend razors that could create confusion as to which is which, I feel I wouldn't be taken seriously as a razor maker. One of the most prevalent mistakes when people make their first razor is they make it too thin at the spine. If I made things that look like a razor but are not really a razor, but also things that look the same but ARE a razor, that would be hopelessly confusing.

I think I would make an exception if it was geometrically a razor, but just not ground as thin. However, due to the design of a folding razor, it would be a pretty dysfunctional pocket knife because the tang construction is not meant to be subject to a lot of force. Nor would it be ergonomical.

That said: the key is where do you see yourself getting most of your business from? Most knifemakers evolves into a certain market where they build a reputation, gain momentum, etc. Some people grow into kitchen knives or hunting knives. And with that comes certain price points.

I have grown into a straight razor market. I LIKE making razors specifically. and inside that market I am known and people come to me and pay at the price point that I have positioned myself at. From time to time I make kitchen knives, and I cannot sell them at the same price point, simply because in the kitchen knife world, there are different well known makers, and I am nobody.

On top of that, I have well known friends in the blade world who share knowledge and even steel with me, precisely because I am 'that kid with his razors' who isn't fishing in the same waters as them.

I wouldn't tell you to do or not do anything. However I would advise you to NOT just accept any request you get, nor feel obliged to comply with people's expectation of how much they think they should pay for your work. I actively refuse projects if I do not see them fitting into what I think I should be doing. Put some thought into what you want to make, which communities you interact with and how you see yourself evolving. And then make decisions to help you get there.