Thread: i wanna try

Hllo everyone
I keep on posting some little pics and some summarized descriptions.
The first 2 pics show the operation of cleaning the shape of the razor blank using a bench grinding weel ,files and free hand grinding tool.
Next i controlled and corrected the flatness of the razor blank with little hammer blows,(its an easy task because the steel is still in the annealed condition) .
The next operation is to find the middle line,i try to scribe with the aid of a drill bit of the right diameter and to obtain two very visible parallel lines approssimately 1.5-2 mm distant,to do this operation fastly is very useful a good planar surface (like a small marble floor tile)
Then i start to remove material from the razor blank sides,i start from 1.5 mm from the back to the scribed lines,for this operation i use a small self builded belt grinder (60 grit) and after a small diameter flap grinder weel (180 grit)in order to smooth a little bit all the surfaces,the belt is very small (50 mm large and about 1000 mm long)and with a little powerful electric motor (350 W only) so this operation is a little long one.
At the end of this operation i have obtained the flanks in wedge shape,
even free hand executed i am enough satisfied of the results.
This is all fo today,i hope to continue tomorrow.

Franz kleber

Hallo everyone.

I keep on working on my little project.
The first image show my homemade forge,its only a metal bucket backet with clay for insulation,a pipe tube in the bottom with many holes to provide the air blast i recovered an old traveling hair dryer 12 V powered, a simple electric device make me easy to change the air volume.
The second pic show the charcoal fire ignited, you can see also a metal pan full of peanuts oil at about 50 C° and a magnet to check the right moment for the quench.the successive image show the moment of truth,a quick test with a file confirm the success in the hardening phase.
I have forgotten to say that the hole for the hinge must be obviusly executed before this phase.(i want to use pins made of alpacca 2mm)
I make a hardness test with a professional laboratory machine and find 64-65 HRC (if quenched in water instead of peanuts oil i can obtain 66-67 HRC but its too dangerous,i ruined the first razor blank i made in this way,the piece ended full of cracks and now i use it for a scribing template !! )
The last pic show the tempering phase,65 HRC are too much hardness because the blade is very brittle,i use a old toaster oven (800 W),i bought an simple thermometer and check frequently that the temperature does not exeed 200 C° in an hour,with this i obtain a final hardness approximatly of 60 HRC.
This is all for today and i will continue tomorrow,i hope that someone is not bored to see that my strange experience !!

Franz Kleber

WOW Franz! Great little experiment! Let us know how it turns out.

Wundervollen Fotos und Anweisungen Franzleber; Fantastisches Experiment auch. Du bist offensichtlich ein erfahrener Handwerker. Bitte Unterhalt, der uns Fotos und Text schickt. Und dein Englisch ist viel besser als mein Deutsch.

Hallo everyone

Thanks a lot for compliments!
I wish to specify that i am not German but Italian,and i write from a north of Italy near Monza .
I have used my nickname Franz Kleber because it is my name translate in german.(Franco Colla)
I work in the automotive field expecially fo german companies,therefore my colleagues of office have given this nickname to me (and is to me remained!!).
However i will continue my "small tutorial" (i have unfortunally still not found the photos with the next steps,i hope not to have lost them!!)

Thanks !!

Hello folks,one more time i keep on showing my pics.
Unfortunately i lost some photos taken during the contruction
however i hope that those remainet are self explanatory.
The first pic show my selfbuilded belt grinder builded on a standard bench grinder,the big weel is 120 mm diameter,good for the main hollow grind and the small one is 48 mm good for the stronger stock removal of the tickness towards the back of the blade, i can use 50 mm wide belt.
Obviously the hollow grind has been executed free hand with many problems in learning the right technique!!!
I have before used the big weel with a 60 grit belt and after that one with 180 grit,the blade must be cooled often(every 2 strokes!!) dipping it in a bucket full of water,this phase take me about 3 hours.
In the next operation i use the smaller weel always with the same described belt sequence but i found an increase of the difficulties in supporting correctly the blade during the grind operation due to the bigger vibrations and heat produced.
The next pic show a simple jig i find in order to improve my working conditions,a piece of thin rubber slab with a piece of adhesive tape therefore to seem a "ring" for the fingers who press the blade towards the belt.
the next pic show the blade still much "crude" from the superficial roughness point of view but finally with the complete hollow grinded profile!!
In the last pic you can see one of the two blades i had ruined during this delicate phase,yes you have well understood,two blades ruined in grinding phase plus one blade ruined in hardening phase,in total three blade to throw in the trash!!
My friends says i have a very hard head and with the fourth blade i choose to work very slowly and to forget a singing hollow grind!!!
This is all for now,i keep on boring you the next time

Franz Kleber

Very nice blade. Keep at them, you will get it and the perfection will come.

Thanks for yours encouragements philothaz,its time to post the last pictures about my project.
The first show another small trick that i have found in order to support the blade without the risc of damaging.
I build a simple jig using modeling paste to use like a "bed",in this way i can push with big force when polish the blade with a wood dowel covered whith a sheet of sanding paper of different grit.
Then i start to build the handle,a visit to a close slaughter house has me allowed to have some pieces of cattle horn.
I sawed the horn with my bandsaw,next i remove the internal tissue with a heat gun and a small chisel.
The successive pic show the straightening and flattening process of the horn using a bench wise and heat gun.
In the next photo you can see my small chinese drill with mounted a polishing weel,the process preview two weels,the first rought and the last finer for the mirrior like finish.
Unfortunatly it is not a confortable job position but it works enought well for me!
Finally the last 5 pics show the finisced project,i think it is not so bad for my "first time" and first of all it shave!!!
comparable with a Thiers Issard singing razor but onestly speaking i can not ask more!!
It has some defects also,it seems that my original solingen made razor need less often sharpening/stropping,and the heel its too mach pointed.
I promise that i will keep in consideration every friendly suggestion from this forum !!

Bye

Franz Kleber

Now i know the max number of postable pics!!
I know, im not a good photographer !!

Bye everyone at the next project !!

Franz Kleber

Wow! That's really a project to be proud of! Keep us updated on the next one!