Thread: Really custom made razors

Brian Brown does nice custom work. You'll wait 9 months to a year though. I'm currently on the list, which requires a $50 non refundable deposit. No worries. It helps develop patience, which is a virtue

I made it in paper. Can somebody make it in steel?
This is it:

The blade looks easy enough and the etch for it no problem. The spine would not be so hard to etch if on the flatter side as opposed to totally rounded. The tang would be very hard for 2 reasons I imagine. 1. If you cut it out before heat treat it may break during quench. 2. Once hardened it is going to be a real pain to cut. Not to mention if you ever drop it or bang it just right it is going to break. Not impossible but very very (did I say very? ) expensive and then not an everyday shaver. Not to mention a nightmare to maintain if you use it. Your first drawing show more curve to the tang. It will certainly look different with that design cut into a wavy tang.

That second picture looks better than the first - there is more mass on the handle, so shaving with it would be less awkward (take a look at japanese razors for the good balance between the blade and handle).
Seems you are a bit flexible on the design so I'd suggest considering few further tweaks in the transition between the blade and the handle. Aesthetics is more important but you don't want it to be too uncomfortable shaving. Smooth contiguous curves are functionally much better than angles, so the greek design pattern may be better implemented over a smooth overall handle.

The spine work is fairly standard - you've seen such and more elaborate ones on vintage razors, and TI puts stuff like that on some of the limited editions they have on pretty much regular basis. I have no idea how they do it, but it is doable even in small volume. (It is true that they have much bigger resources and can justify specialized equipment that a single custom razor maker can't, but still it seems like one can get a pretty good approximation of it with regular tools.)

It is possible to make that! But I found this points as very big stress points and very easy to brake. So it is good advice to you to modify that points.


What material did you mean to use for that blade? Is it asimetric grind like on japaneese kamisori or is it western simetric grind?
Etched or mirror finish?

Edit:
Maybe somethnig like this to add some strenght

This is how I see this custom razor.

10Pups, gugi and davorvfr, thank you very much for your comments.
I really find them very useful. You highlighted some issues that I wasn't aware of.


I am flexible regarding the blade design, but not so much when it comes to the symbols.

I understand the need for changing the "stress points" davorvfr, and I would have liked to be flexible with that but unfortunately I can't. These symbols are very specific, have a particular meaning and remain like this form thousands of years. Changing them would change the hole idea.

Look at some examples. The angles are always 90 degrees:





and this last one is from a newer building in Manhattan:

Then you can go with flat steel and hard electroetch on tang to get pattern you like, otherwise I think is not possible and smart to do.

Edit
Or it is possible to make some steel stamps and when seel is hot push that pattern deep in steel.

Originally Posted by davorvfr

Then you can go with flat steel and hard electroetch on tang to get pattern you like, otherwise I think is not possible and smart to do.

Edit
Or it is possible to make some steel stamps and when seel is hot push that pattern deep in steel.

I like these ideas a lot better. Or, you could find a jeweler/engraver/metal carver to carve the designs into the tang. I also recommend abandoning any design that will have a sharp angle (stress riser) in a place that will be heat treated.

There are some excellent metal carvers around. Bill Ellis comes to mind because I have seen his carving skills on straights, knives and rifles. I have no idea if he is still in the business.