Thread: Opinion on gripping a large blade

I started this for myself. I have very small hands, so it fit well enough for my fingers.

But its probably going to end up going to somebody with substantially larger hands than mine own.
The blade is close to 10/8 I was shooting for a grind similar to the big FBU wedge razors. Since I don't have one to compare to, I based it off of photos. In case you were wondering, it has been ground using an old school 10" grinding wheel rotating at about 250rpm. I think it is closer to a Sheffield hollow than it is to wedge.
Anyways... I would like some input from you big burly men with your big ham hands. Would you find a narrow tang like this to be a problem for handling a razor of this size?
And for those who have built razors before, if I were to put scales on this as is, would the torsional force placed on the pivot be a problem?
Of course, I could possibly create a solid handle instead of folding scales. Would love to hear from you guys who make one piece razors on the subject too.

as John Daly would say: Grip it and rip it

Big tangs easier to grip, small tangs easier strop. There is a balance, I would say try it out and see how you like the feel of it. I tend to like both big and narrow tangs. It is part of the personality of the blade.

That razor has beautiful lines to it.

Charlie

quiet secret... Inspiration provided by Spazola razors.

I have medium hands and if you want someone to test drive it for you I'm up for the task

I have fairly big hands, and have razors from 4/8 to 9/8, and tangs from small to some nice one's with longish Monkey tails...I guess for me it would be the Clint Eastwood line from the movie, "Heartbreak Ridge". I think he said something along the lines of learning to, "adapt and overcome"...and that works well in pretty much all situations, including learning to adapt to different razors and learning the unique properties of each.

Go with what works for you, and if someone else eventually likes it enough to buy it, it will be up to them to get to know the razor.

Looks good by the way!

Originally Posted by Phrank

Go with what works for you, and if someone else eventually likes it enough to buy it, it will be up to them to get to know the razor.

Looks good by the way!

Thanks for the compliment Frank. This razor wont be sold. I want to give it as a karma gift to a guy who I have watched grow into a good man over the years. He was always a good man, but he has become a better one. He should know that people have noticed and are proud of him.
Between that, and my finding some measure of relief from my own depression in bringing joy to others, this seems to be a good choice. I just don't want him to end up frustrated by a gift that might be problematic for him to use.

On a narrow tang, esp with a big blade, I'd add jimps.

Originally Posted by Magpie

if I were to put scales on this as is, would the torsional force placed on the pivot be a problem?

There shouldn't be any force on the pivot that depends on the razor. Remember the scales are not a handle, so they are just protecting the blade when closed and providing the correct balance when shaving.
With such a heavy blade the scales will have to be correspondingly heavy, so good balance would be a challenge since most people use the scales in different position for the different grips during shaving. You should try to move the weight of the scales closer to the pivot hole, it will help with that problem. Since the blade is so much larger the natural weigh distribution of the scales would tend to be away from the pivot. One idea for a work around is to put heavy decoration towards the pivot (thick and heavy metal such as silver or lead or may be stones could do it).
But making the tang thicker to start with would've been better - just from functional point of view for better balance.

What do you guys think about a one piece handle, like stag horn, or encasing it in Lucite? Would increase overall grip surface to be sure. Never having a onepiece razor to play with, not sure about how maneuverable that would be around the face.
Charlie, how long overall are your once piece razors?