Thread: Design of custom razor

I'm slowly working/dreaming on the design of my first custom razor.So far my biggest problem is to avoid implementing to many details.You kind of want a little of everything when making such an investment,and I suspect that to be a recipe to an ugly razor.I'm a big fan of Robert Williams, and would love to have him make my first custom(Get in line I guess)
So far my idea is to make a new version of an old meatchopper with a barbers notch and a Robert Williams twist to it.I'm thinking 8/8 or bigger, but fear that it will harm functionality.I'd like it to be in CPM-S30V Stainless with a satin finish.The scales I'm not sure about, but mabe some kind of horn or wood.I'd like the design to be real simple and functional but still unique.
Any toughts on this? or mabe some inspiring pictures?
thanks

8/8 won't harm functionality- it'll be personal as to whether or not you like shaving with it though. A custom can be as detailed or plain as you want, but in the end, make sure it is in fact what you want. Inspiration? Draw from your own mind and tastes for the best end result that would suit YOU! Take time and study what you do and don't like about razors you own and see and the rest should come fairly easily.

Why do you want Stainless Steel? I have never in over 20 years of Str8 shaving had ANY stainless steel blade shave better than my favorite CARBON STEEL blade.

And I just received this from Robert Williams and its carbon steel and probably the finest razor I have ever shaved with.

My friodur is stainles, and it holds a great edge.Most of my razors are in carbonsteel tough and I absolutly see your point, but in this case I would like something different:

CPM-S30V Stainless: This is a very high-tech high carbon (1.25%) stainless steel that is considered by many to be the finest blade steel ever available. This is the first steel ever developed specifically for the cultery industry. All other steels were formulated with other applications in mind and utilized by bladesmiths if their properties were suitable for making blades. Some, of course were very suitable and make very fine blades but this steel was designed to meet exacting demands of bladesmiths for a super high quality Stainless that would take an outstanding edge, hold that edge longer than standard steels and still be both tough enough for use and corrosion resistant enough to require minimal maintenance. Crucible Steel hit a home run with this, in my opinion. This steel is made with the state-of-the-art particle metallurgy process that assures an incomparable level of consistency and even alloying far better than any other standard smelting process. It will take an extraordinarily keen and durable edge. It is harder to hone than high carbon steel and is abrasion resistant almost to a fault. This keeps the blade's edge from wearing down, which is wonderful for edge retention but makes honing more time consuming. Also, because of the extraordinary abrasion resistance of this steel, a mirror polish simply isn't practical. Perhaps with enough time and dedication a mirror polish could be achieved using some sort of diamond paste polishing method but it's simply not practical. This steel just shrugs off standard polishing compounds. You don't have to worry about scratching these blades up because you'd have to try pretty hard to do it. This several times more expensive than more commonly used stainless steels and is also harder on equipment. It is a stubborn steel to grind due to it's inherent abrasion resistance. It only comes in a brushed satin finish. I would not recommend this steel to someone who feels challenged honing a standard straight razor, but for those that are good with a hone and want an exceptional edge in a steel that's very tough, very stain resistant, has outstanding edge retention and appreciates the beauty of the clean satin finish look, one of these blades combined with Micarta scales makes a razor that might be termed "practical tactical"; a razor that is all about the highest performance with the least possible maintenance. If you want a razor that thrives on neglect, this would be it. New Photo Gallery

( From Amaricanrazors.com (hope it was ok to use it in this post))