Hi all. my name is Joe Calton and ive been lurking here for the last couple weeks, learning about straight razors to be able to make them. I am a knifemaker and normally make very thin flat and convex ground kitchen knives, the other day I made a couple lockbacks and slipjoint pocket knives and ended up learning how to hollow grind. sitting there thinking about the hollowgrinding, for some reason I thought I should make some straight razors since i havent ever made any of those.
funny how a simple thought can lead to a couple weeks of serious study and lots and lots of shop time :}
I dug out my old razor, then bought a 11 piece lot of vintage razors off ebay, then new stones all the way down to the naniwa 12,000 and a very nice strop. fast forward a couple weeks, and now ive forged and finished a couple basic ones out of 1095, ground clean through one from the side. and am shaving most days with one or another. today I finished the first one that I thought I had most of the basics down on, about a 6/8 extra hollow with the rounded point. single piece ipe handle, brass pin and washers and then shaved with it.
but anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself, and to say thanks for the forum, which really shortened the beginning of my learning curve to start making these!
Joe