Thread: North Central Texas Meet

I wish Charlie lived a little closer!

Sounds like a great time was had by all! Charlie is a 'Giver' . A fine gentleman who shares his skills with others and enjoys doing so. As I was halfway up there that day, I thought of the great time I was missing. Hopefully, I can make it next year!
Nice work, all!

Originally Posted by 32t

I wish Charlie lived a little closer!

It is only a 12 hour drive...if you don't stop for gas!

Originally Posted by randydance062449

It is only a 12 hour drive...if you don't stop for gas!

And if you don't stop to eat or pee!

The price of gas is going up again also.

Looks like you guys had a great time. I am jealous that I did not get to participate and get some knowledge for making blades. Awesome meet.

Charlie I can't thank you enough for everything it was an incredible experience for me and I learned soooooooo much from you.
P.S. don't forget to check the anode in your water heater

Thanks again
Pat

Thanks Charlie, it was a fantastic meet! I started ordering grinder parts today.

Home now. Safe and rested.

Once again I want to say THANK YOU! to Charlie Lewis for a very good razor meet.
As always, I enjoy his company and his sharing of knowledge to all of us less skilled than he.

This time 3 new guys made it. Ron ( Utopian) Victor ( Bluesman7) and Pat (430Pat).

Pat was the newest to the straight razor world and brought with him some razor blanks. Those blanks he gamely took to the belt grinder and received a very good intro to the art of hollow grinding. Frankly, he did a very good job! Far better than I did when I first started with a hollow grinder. I think Pat will go far with his plans.

Ron took to forging and hollow grinding like a duck to water. His eye/hand coordination is simply excellent. I was very surprised at how well he did in such a short amount of time. I hope to see the 3 razors he worked on in a set of scales and honed up in the very near future. I hope someone posts some pics of his razors.

Victor was a pleasant surprise. Both for his good nature and his technical competence.
His grinder was very interesting but what is most interesting was the thought he put into the process of making a razor with a bare minimum of tools. He is the first person I am aware of who has used Trig to determine the settings of his grinder/blade and the only person who has used Bondo filler to provide a consistent surface presentation to the grinder. ...and it works!

Myself... I finished grinding 2 razors and put scales on them. The one with gray scales is a 5/8 and the red scales are a 6/8.
The trip down to Texas was uneventful but on the trip back we ran into a freezing rain/snow mix in Oklahoma City. The roads were coated in ice and snow for a distance and added about 2 hours to our driving time. But we made it home about midnight, 17 hours later.

I look forward to next year

Originally Posted by bluesman7

Thanks Charlie, it was a fantastic meet! I started ordering grinder parts today.

I definitely can relate, but Victor you are the reason I cannot move forward on a grinder yet.

Because of your outside of the box thinking, you have set me on the path of coming up with novel ways to hollow grind. I have to forego grinder plans until I get my straight and smiling hollow grinder jigs worked up. So far neither involves bondo, but I'll keep trying!

Originally Posted by Utopian

I definitely can relate, but Victor you are the reason I cannot move forward on a grinder yet.

Because of your outside of the box thinking, you have set me on the path of coming up with novel ways to hollow grind. I have to forego grinder plans until I get my straight and smiling hollow grinder jigs worked up. So far neither involves bondo, but I'll keep trying!

Interesting thing to think about isn't it.

Hit my first snag on the grinder. The motor I was planning on using is just too big. I could deal with the weight, but the large shaft size limits the pulley selection and the workaround involves larger pulleys on the drive shaft. All of the larger pulleys cost significantly more and offset the savings from using the in hand motor as well as mucking up the design. Then if I came across a more appropriate motor all of the money spent on special pulleys is wasted. Shopping for used motors now.