Thread: Modified Gold Dollar

Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

I thought I would give the VG10HZ one more chance to perform. After considering a few possible methods for putting a chip-free bevel on the razor, I zeroed in on a very well worn piece of 30u film. Did a couple hundred back and forths on each side, then diminishing sets, a couple of zigzag runs and a whole bunch of pull strokes to put down a scratch pattern parallel to the edge. I figured if anything, that ought to prevent the chips I had been getting in the edge, and then I could proceed from there with normal laps. So after a few minutes I had the chips mostly gone, and I didn't seem to be making any new ones. In the loupe I saw what at first I thought were very fine hairs laying across the bevel but they were actually very tiny cracks, probably quench cracks, running perpendicular to the edge. They were invisible to the naked eye. I couldn't even see them with the loupe until I ran the scratches parallel to the edge, where the cracks would stand out. I found two, but I am sure there are more, even smaller ones.

So the VG10HZ razor is toast. It might actually be a decent model but I definitely got a bad one. I was hoping to get a couple of good shaves from it and then let it go on fleabay, but it's a gone pecan.

And you expected something different? I believe I'll stick with the good ones made a long time ago with the good steel. I can also count on those. I hope you find what you are looking for!

Originally Posted by Johntoad57

And you expected something different? I believe I'll stick with the good ones made a long time ago with the good steel. I can also count on those. I hope you find what you are looking for!

Nah. I wasn't expecting a lot. I actually expected the Gold Dollars to come out ahead of the Titans. I was just answering a challenge from the resident Titan cheerleader on B&B cause I was kind of putting the Titans down but he pointed out that I had not actually ever tried any of them. So I decided to be fair about it and give them a go, picking one model from each of their three most popular alloys. And now the straight shaving community knows just a little bit more about them. I didn't like them before I tried them. I don't like them now that I have tried them.

When I ever encountered very hard steels I use a 6 micron (4k equivalent) dmt. Cuts faster due to it being diamond. And because it's not low grit I never had issues with chipping.

Try a micro bevel with an extra layer of Kapton tape on 1um film.

Years ago, Mark Richmond, CNTG made some razors from extra material from his knives. I think it was VG10, (there have been a few generations) it worked well on his Richmond Artiflex knives, but the razors micro chipped so badly that he stopped making them shortly after debuting them.

It was a good looking razor, well ground, nice and wide, about 1 inch and very hard. I bought a couple and was able to get a good edge, after taking it to .03um film from a 12k stone progression, jointing the edge and adding a micro-bevel on 1um with paper.

This was also a good solution to a chip free edge on the old Hart razor that were notorious for micro chipping.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Try a micro bevel with an extra layer of Kapton tape on 1um film.

Years ago, Mark Richmond, CNTG made some razors from extra material from his knives. I think it was VG10, (there have been a few generations) it worked well on his Richmond Artiflex knives, but the razors micro chipped so badly that he stopped making them shortly after debuting them.

It was a good looking razor, well ground, nice and wide, about 1 inch and very hard. I bought a couple and was able to get a good edge, after taking it to .03um film from a 12k stone progression, jointing the edge and adding a micro-bevel on 1um with paper.

This was also a good solution to a chip free edge on the old Hart razor that were notorious for micro chipping.

That sounds like a good suggestion, and if the bevel angle was more in the normal range I would have tried a compound bevel. But it is pretty thick. AND there are cracks, which I didn't detect the first time around. But I agree, a chippy razor sometimes performs pretty decently if you finish with a microbevel.

Anyway, I tossed it yesterday. Blade = no good. Scales = no good. And today was trash day. I put the ACRO on fleabay and I will probably shave a couple more times with the ACRM-2 before it, too, suffers the same fate.

I never tried a Hart. Too many things, including the price, I didn't like about it.

LOL the film over paper! Before I picked up the diamond on balsa habit, I used to do that a lot. I sent a Hibbart Spencer Clark Frary whatever hardware store razor finished that way to a hardcore natural stone zealot and he said no way was that a film edge LOL! It is a game changer, that's for sure.