Thread: Four more ready for scales...

Well, I finished 4 more razors today. Just 5 more to go!

Comments are welcome, good and bad. These are my practice razors so there is a lot of room for improvement.

Here is a link to all the pics

01-17-2009 - a set on Flickr


Here are some pics



This one was made from an old file






Ooopps!, it really is the same finish as the above 3 razors

Here are some pics of the spines

The learning curve today included recognizing the need for grinding belts that are designed to be used wet. The abrasive binder on my 400 grit belt just dissolved when it got wet!

Awesome, Randy. That second razor made from the file is one of the coolest I've seen. I think a lot of people would have ground filemarks completely away. The fact that you've kept remnants of that steel's previous incarnation is awesome. From the side, with the filework, the tang reminds me of a scorpion's tail too. Very nice razor. That one really stands out for me.

Chris L

Hard to say anything bad without closer inspection. From the photos they look great.
Love the work-back thorn razor, and the plain square point. it's very traditional love the thumb notches in all of them. I think it should be standard on razors, the thumb notch that is. I like the fact that the file lines are left in near the spine it gives it more dimension.

Awesome job my friend.

Great lines on those blades, Randy. Especially the second one down. Nice job.

Jordan

Yes, that is the old file. It was annealed (softened) before I worked it.
To anneal a piece of steel you heat it up to a point where it is not magnetic ( and slightly hotter) the quickly put it in an highly insulated box and let it slow cool. About 24 hours. That's about the only way you can modify a file.
The pattern on the spine is called "Vine and Thorn".

Thanks for the comments!

It's basically standard high carbon tool steel. It can get very brittle so I tried for a HRC of 59-60.

Generally speaking, with simple high carbon steels, the higher the HRC the more brittle it is, if the HRC is to high then micro-chipping can be a problem. It is also much harder to hone!
I completed another razor from an old file and tempered that to hard. Not only was it a son of a gun to hone but it wanted to micro-chip. That's why on these I lowered the HRC.

I will start honing with sandpaper, probably 320 and work up to 1000 grit then switch to the standard Norton 4/8 hones. For a finish hone I am undecided. Maybe a Japanese natural stone that I just received?

Wow! cold weather must be good for razor making! I like the shapes of those razors. Picture number DSCN1966 on the fliker page is just about my idea of the perfect razor shape.

Charlie