Thread: Greetings (again) from NJ

By the way I hope I don't sound like a jerk or seem ungrateful for being unsatisfied by the work the guy did. I'm sure the guy is a member here too. And while I wasn't thrilled with how the razor turned out he did a fantastic job on another razor of mine and was a very cool guy to deal with. I was just kinda intimidated to say anything negative and didn't want to be disrespectful in any way. It was just an awkward situation and I didn't really know how to handle it.

Welcome to the forum.

I don't think you sound like you are coming across that way at all... Just seems like you are identifying your preferences and figuring the whole process out. Best thing to do when there are questions or concerns is to ask the person directly... Tough part is exactly as you described in feeling comfortable addressing the situation and figuring out a way to communicate that.

Smiling Blades... I don't know a lot about the history of one razor feature over another but believe the smiling blade is just a more efficient blade shape for cutting and that is why people chase/promote it. Could also just be largely subjective or an aesthetic preference. I restore and hone a lot of "Razor Wrecks" where the blade has serious issues of one sort or another... Heavy Toe Wear, Heavy Heel Wear, Chips, Dings, etc... In all those cases it is far easier and results look better if I produce a Smiling Edge. Just as you found out, taking the edge back to level straight can remove a lot of metal and it is pretty tough to find homes for 4/8" Razors; generally speaking.

Originally Posted by rfn379

By the way I hope I don't sound like a jerk or seem ungrateful for being unsatisfied by the work the guy did. I'm sure the guy is a member here too. And while I wasn't thrilled with how the razor turned out he did a fantastic job on another razor of mine and was a very cool guy to deal with. I was just kinda intimidated to say anything negative and didn't want to be disrespectful in any way. It was just an awkward situation and I didn't really know how to handle it.

Thanks for the reassurance Prahston. I actually measured the blade and it seems to have lost about 1/16 so far. That's not so bad I guess. What saved me is that I ended up rounding off the square point because I kept cutting myself with it and that removed the smirking part of the toe without having to take the edge back TOO far.

Right on... Sounds like you did great! In the overall picture, I think that is a minor loss if the results produced the razor exactly as you prefer it... It will be a pretty rare person that can detect that amount of steel loss without you mentioning it up front and even more rare for them to be very concerned about it.

Sounds like a Homerun to me... Developed a friendship, learned a few things, identified an issue, 'fixed it yourself' and ultimately got near to the exact the results you were chasing...

Only thing missing is a "Good job!" and a pat on the back!!

Oh and in case you were wondering...here is the razor we've been talking about. These guys at PRC do make a fine razor.

Beautiful razor.

Yep... Beautiful razor for sure! You did a great job with it... The rounded/muted point looks like it was that way the whole time.

Thanks. I did it very carefully using a diamond file. Then I polished it with some fine grit sandpaper. I am very happy with how it turned out. And I haven't cut myself with it since.