Sacrilege...and other wanton acts of harm to our gems!!

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05-09-2012, 10:22 PM
dArtagnan

Sacrilege...and other wanton acts of harm to our gems!!

Hey all. This is my very first SRP post. And after pouring over this incredibly informative forum (and a bunch of other sites to a MUCH lesser degree) for some 3 days, I, a 56 yr old newb, just ordered a Boker "Edelweiss" from SRD after briefly speaking w/ Don. No doubt as the call ended I left that very courteous gentleman rolling his eyes a wee bit as I had disclosed to him my plans to subject my lovely new first blade to a slow filing and buffing process which will, after numerous sittings, leave her (Constance, of course!) w/ smallish jimps on the top and bottom of her shank, (possibly) w/ the same on the top of her tang, and last, but certainly not least, w/ a brazen smooth polished-end deadly spike point.

Don did, of course, point out that I would be voiding all warranties as soon as I so much as scratched the metal w/ the first pass of my triangle file on her shank. That came as no surprise though (did I mention that I am 56 - lol), and that the value of my customized beauty would in all likelihood be something akin to that of an equal weight of scrap metal - again, no surprises there.

W/ luck, Connie will arrive on Saturday and I will enjoy our first of many shaves at that time following the very educational and confidence inspiring SRP first-shave training guide very closely. And just in case you are wondering why I am going down this modification route, I sport a goatee that has several hard to get at areas hence the spike point and as for the jimps...well, if I'm going to customize her nose I may as well add to my ability to hang on to her as the latter is certainly the lesser of the two evils. And yes, I know the "other" brand has an out-of-the-box spike point, but I am taking everyone's sound advise and buying the lass that I think will trip my trigger the most for the buck.

I will post pics of my lovely this weekend prior to my rude assault upon her form and will post completed project pics of her as well. Maybe even a few "work-in-process" shots to document the vile treatment to which I will be subjecting her to over the next few weeks.

I would like to invite any and all of my fellow Dr. Frankensteins to post pics in this thread of any similar, or other, "improvements" you may have made to your lovely steel mistresses as I would be very interested in seeing your ideas and artistry.
05-09-2012, 10:41 PM
jhenry

Welcome to SRP dartagnan. Glad to have you aboard.

After you have customized your Boker, I'm certain that SRP members would love to see some photos to feed our RAD.

Take care--and smooth shaving.
05-09-2012, 10:50 PM
Cove5440

Welcome to SRP. Have fun with that project, but you may want to order another….just in case…. ;)

(hope you don't mind my humor)
05-09-2012, 11:17 PM
ryanjewell

Have you tried something like that on a not new/nice razor first just to see if it's what you really want it to be in practice?
05-10-2012, 03:15 AM
driver/examiner

Somebody get the Tequila ! ! !.......:cry:
05-10-2012, 11:51 AM
syslight

I blame Don for this blasphemy... Boker makes a perfectly good "arbolito" which comes with a spanish point which would work just fine on the goatee, not sure if it is jimped though.

normally i would not personalize a razor so... but if it was needed to save a razor then like many other i would. just remember to keep the blade cool while you are grinding the toe. good luck!

enjoy,
jim
05-10-2012, 12:33 PM
Yochatman

:dropjaw: Practice on an ebay special first. Please?
05-10-2012, 12:35 PM
pixelfixed

5 Bux says it never happens:)
05-10-2012, 12:35 PM
Bruno

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryanjewell

Have you tried something like that on a not new/nice razor first just to see if it's what you really want it to be in practice?

+1. The tang will be hardened to the same hardness as the blade.
At 60 HRc, filing with a triangular file is going to be difficult. In fact, the file will skate and slide so much that filing only in the desired place will be a challenge.
05-10-2012, 05:06 PM
dArtagnan

Hi, guys. Many thanks for the hellos and the input.

Quote:

Originally Posted by driver/examiner

Somebody get the Tequila ! ! !.......:cry:

lol, probably not a bad idea, Driver.

Quote:

Originally Posted by syslight

I blame Don for this blasphemy... Boker makes a perfectly good "arbolito" which comes with a spanish point which would work just fine on the goatee, not sure if it is jimped though.

normally i would not personalize a razor so... but if it was needed to save a razor then like many other i would. just remember to keep the blade cool while you are grinding the toe. good luck!

enjoy,
jim

Jim, the "Arbolito" is a bit fancy f/ my taste. As f/ grinding, I was planning to do everything slowly over a few weeks using just files so as not to risk screwing up the temper. I learned long ago that working slowly in small incremental phases and never rushing this type of project produces the best end result.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yochatman

:dropjaw: Practice on an ebay special first. Please?

Yoch, good advice which I may certainly take!

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

5 Bux says it never happens:)

Pix, yesterday I would have firmly replied, "YES IT WILL!!" After looking at how lovely she looks in her pics a couple more times and taking Bruno's comments into serious consideration...well let's just say that today I am dithering a bit. Bottom line - I will have to see how well I can detail my goatee's hard to reach spots with it as is. If I think it may work "as is" once I get some actual shaving experience, that will stay my hand of course. So only if I feel I need to. But after all - form does follow function.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruno

+1. The tang will be hardened to the same hardness as the blade.
At 60 HRc, filing with a triangular file is going to be difficult. In fact, the file will skate and slide so much that filing only in the desired place will be a challenge.

Bruno, excellent logic and thanks for making me give more thought to the actual hardness of blade steel. If I elect to proceed w/ the mods, I will likely take Yoch's advice and practice on a beater first.
05-10-2012, 05:19 PM
dArtagnan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cove5440

Welcome to SRP. Have fun with that project, but you may want to order another….just in case…. ;)

(hope you don't mind my humor)

Cove, you could be right. lol And no, I don't mind your humor at all, mate. Best to you and yours.
05-15-2012, 03:04 AM
dArtagnan

1 Attachment(s)

My new (& first razor) - a Boker Edelweiss. Rec'd from SRD on 5/12.

Attachment 97143
05-15-2012, 03:34 AM
Grizzley1

Are you sure you really thought this through???
05-15-2012, 01:53 PM
sharptonn

Have you asked Constance (Connie) if she wants cosmetic surgery? She might be comfortable with her looks as she is! ;)
05-15-2012, 03:42 PM
str8fencer

I'd bet you will soon have more razors in your possesion, if you are anything like the rest of us.
I have a goatee as well, I use wedges, hollow razors, french points, framebacks, spike pointed, round nosed razors (humm, did I forget anything) ranging from very small indeed to rather large. They all work well, goatee and all. Oh, and that razor of yours is mighty purty already :)

Looka here: how many razors do people have in their shave rotation?

Best of luck.
05-16-2012, 08:12 PM
dArtagnan

Quote:

Originally Posted by str8fencer

I'd bet you will soon have more razors in your possesion, if you are anything like the rest of us.
I have a goatee as well, I use wedges, hollow razors, french points, framebacks, spike pointed, round nosed razors (humm, did I forget anything) ranging from very small indeed to rather large. They all work well, goatee and all. Oh, and that razor of yours is mighty purty already :)

Best of luck.

Str8, thanks f/ the words of encouragement. You wouldn't happen to have a vid of your finesse work on your goatee perchance? Or consider making one? I have to deal not only w/ the perimeter, but also w/ a fair amount of interior sculpting.
05-16-2012, 08:22 PM
dArtagnan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grizzley1

Are you sure you really thought this through???

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Have you asked Constance (Connie) if she wants cosmetic surgery? She might be comfortable with her looks as she is! ;)

Hi Griz and sharp, ...well I do have to admit that Connie is quite the comely lass as she is. Thus far in my very novice attempts I am having more than just a bit of difficulty in getting a decent shave in the areas surrounding and within my goatee. I do plan to wait a couple weeks to allow for the inevitable improvements to my very green technique before any "improvements" to her features will be undertaken.
05-16-2012, 08:22 PM
pixelfixed

Have the mods begun? 5 bux is 5 bux:)Go see the hunger games, is a dude in that movie with some fantastic facial sculpting.
05-18-2012, 05:51 PM
dArtagnan

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Have the mods begun? 5 bux is 5 bux:)Go see the hunger games, is a dude in that movie with some fantastic facial sculpting.

Hey pix, I want to wait until I get some more shaving experience under my belt before I make the final decision and hopefully I will then feel the mods to be unnecessary as I would really prefer not modifying her unless I really have to. I have been meaning to go see the H-Games. Maybe this weekend. Best, mate.
05-19-2012, 02:43 AM
Grizzley1

I have worn a goatee or beard, most of my life. While you can trim your goat with any blade, I find the French point is usually the easiest for fine detail work. I change the shape and size regularly, so with a little practice on sure you will too. It's not that tough. It just takes a steady and and some practice.