First Straight Razor, "Spikey" in a bold W's pattern

I was going to wait until I was a bit further down the line with shaving/honing etc.....but this bold w's pattern begged me to do it.
Having learned that Razors don't necessarily need to have scales or hollow ground I thought why not.
The Mascus is a bold W's pattern I made from Swedish band saw blades. About 0.8% carbon.
I forged to shape, and fullered in the shape to the handle to get some swell, which I decided to leave as texture and ground the tops and bottoms to reveal the layers.
I heat treated then ground the wedge. Long way to go there is still 0.3mm on the edge.
I'm tempering it in the oven now at 135 * c,(275*F) which should give around 62,63hrc. Then I'll polish all the ground mascus bits. And hit the grinder again to get it as far as I can, then try honing it and polish the edge, probably have to use Micromesh.
The spine would be a bit of a pain with tape, so I believe I can use nail varnish? on the edge to keep it smooth in the etch. Then try and have a shave with the beast.
The blade is 5.25mm thick at the spine and the cutting edge is 55mm. Its 26mm deep making it a shade over 8/8. With an absence of wheels, it is a wedge. It seems to balance really well and seems quite fine and delicate even with its chunkyness. Hopefully I can get it to shave.
I was looking at the lewis Razors website this morning and was certainly inspired to try something in my Mascus. Beyond the forge work and grind, i'm stumbling a bit so any advice most welcome.
Here it is ground to 180gt ceramic and a wee etch to see progress.
http://i798.photobucket.com/albums/y...e/IMGP0807.jpg
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http://i798.photobucket.com/albums/y...e/IMGP0809.jpg
http://i798.photobucket.com/albums/y...e/IMGP0808.jpg

One more
http://i798.photobucket.com/albums/y...e/IMGP0814.jpg

You will put your eye out with that!

Hee hee, thats a good.......Point.:D

Fantastic look to it. Really out of band saw blade huh?? Nice use of old material. I'd love to see it after it's completed! Got another you want to get rid of? LOL

its horrible!! terrible!!! much too dangerous for you to use..... :D

ship it to me as soon as possible... i will ummmm.... dispose of it before it hurts anyone... *innocent look....


*(awesome... i find that piece of art more beautiful than i can find words to describe.... i LOVE damascus!!!)

I would still use tape on the spine and I wouldn't be afraid to use a couple of layers.
With a liquid component like nail varnish it won't cure flat, it will have a slight bubble to it.
of course if you add too much tape you could run into issues as well.
I worry with spines like that, they tend to be difficult to hone.

Thanks So much guys. Glad you like it. I have used scrap band saw blades for the Mascus as it is my only source of 15n20 from Underholm, here in the uk. Its the Nickel element which i'm after for contrast. Apart from the 2% nickel its a straight forward carbon steel so goes well with any other plain carbon steel with a similar or slightly higher carbon content. 15n20 has become nearly impossible to get here without having to buy a whole ton of hardened steel on a roll. So its nice to have a little supply of it until an alternative steel comes to light.

Now you just need to do a makers mark and she'll be pretty close to done.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by deighaingeal

I would still use tape on the spine and I wouldn't be afraid to use a couple of layers.
With a liquid component like nail varnish it won't cure flat, it will have a slight bubble to it.
of course if you add too much tape you could run into issues as well.
I worry with spines like that, they tend to be difficult to hone.

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Cheers, yep this is where my inexperience comes in. I was thinking more with the pattern on the edge with the nail varnish, to use it as an etch block on the very edge. So I can hone then etch and do minimal honing after the etch and strop. I would have to re-etch after a few heavy honing sessions, but I would be fine with that on this one. I'll just be glad to get it shaving.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hornm

Now you just need to do a makers mark and she'll be pretty close to done.

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Darn I knew I forgot something, I've hardened it now. I have a lizard eye hot stamp I made for knives, but it wouldn't look quite right on this. If I do a mk2 it will have to have SPIKEY 8/8 etched on the spine.

I'd love to own a stunning razor like that one !!!!! :)

ian

Very cool! Way to jump right in with both feet.

Nice piece of steel. Good materials too. I can't think of any better so I wouldn't sit around waiting for an alternative. I know some folks (Mick and Owen) who are looking after a bulk order over your way, if you want some more... ;) The more that join in the easier it will be to get.

I'd recommend honing first, then re-polish the whole blade except the honed edge, then use the nail polish on the honed edge, etch and remove the nail polish afterward. Strop shave whatever comes next I guess.

I am envious of that Damascus! I like your work, keep it going. :D

That razor sure looks lke a lot of fun, I like it a lot.

Charlie

Thank Guys, it was lots of fun to make, and thank you for the inspiration to do it.
I spent the evening honing the single bevel. got it close but couldn't get a stable edge all the way along. Then I had a look at some angles on some other razors. The edges seem to be between 15 and 20 degrees. Mine is less than 10 with the width of the blade, the spine is only 4mm not 5mm. Poor measuring and research on my part. I added 2 pieces of tape each side with the back of the tape on the spine making a nice shelf about 10mm back from the edge and honed a secondary beval. Took a while to get it right with the 1K, then stropped it flat with compound with tape still on. It felt there all the way along after this and was popping hairs. so I had a quick shave..... It really seems to work well, only a test but now I know it works I will get it cleaned and polished/etched. I've got a set of micromesh coming so i'll try working my way through the grades on that on the final bevel, see how sharp I can get it. Its hard at a guess 63ish HRC. Didn't loose a jot of sharpness during my shave even with a shallow ish final bevel. A happy bunny I am. I love the shorter blade, really suits my face. I knew it would when I saw your video Charlie.

Nice to see a familiar name on here. Glad to hear the shave went well, after all that's the most important bit!

Very nice indeed! Love the Mascus!

Thanks Guys, Hello Mike! I have polished this one up now. I ended up using 4 layers of tape each side to get a more sensible hone angle of 15/16 degrees. The first shave with it went well as I posted earlier. The next shave was after the etch. I re-honed after but not enough and had a rather toothy shave. My Welsh slate arrived which prompted me to try again. I finally got a nice smooth edge and had a dream of a shave with it yesterday morning, which made me feel fab for the rest of the day. Its gone off now for some expert analysis and feedback for me to consider in a mk2. So I may be bringing versions of this beyond a prototype. This one is a keeper though, even with the faff with all the tape to hone it.
Here are some finished pics. Thanks all for your support and kind words. Happy Shaving
Will
http://i798.photobucket.com/albums/y...e/IMGP0900.jpg
http://i798.photobucket.com/albums/y...e/IMGP0898.jpg
http://i798.photobucket.com/albums/y...e/IMGP0895.jpg
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I've said it already but I think this razor is absolutely superb.

one of the best examples of CRAFTSMANSHIP i have seen in years..... i am envious of your talent and that razor.....

That looks great, fantastic job! :tu

The Damascus has come out looking really lovely as well with a really striking contrast.

Thanks very much guys, Your feedback means allot to me, as this is a very New thing to me. I rarely make things without a specific design in mind as it can end in a bit of a confused mess. I pretty much made this up as I went along, except the blade dimensions. I'm really happy with it and the reactions you have given me. It is with Steve at the moment at IE who is kindly trailing it for me in terms of its practical performance.
Thanks again for the Support. I'm hooked on shaving with a straight razor now. I find it gives me a most natural high and very fulfilling. Greg on here sold me my first Razor on British Blades and its a cracker.