Thread: Custom Straight Razor by the Muskrat Man

I haven't been able to pursue my razor restoration interests as much as I'd like due to my knife buisness, but I squeezed in the time today to make a full custom razor from scratch. All my own design, made up as I went. L6 carbon steel blade with a brushed satin finish, desert ironwood scales, and nickel silver pins on brass washers. Now the one thing about this that may seem odd to you all is the blade is only 3/32" thick in the spine, it is flatground to a zero edge and hand honed and stropped to an edge that is as good as any razor I've seen. Enough with the chatter, here's some pics




Now, I know next to squat about razors. All I know is most are thick spined, hollow ground, sheffield was a capital for them and they are used to shave. I don't have the experience for the deisgn and small minute details that may make all the difference in a blade and/or handle shape. So I'm looking for comments, questions, constructive critisizm, whatever you feel like telling or asking me about this razor.
Best Regards
Kaleb

Kaleb,
Very nice job on the razor. I am a fan of wedges and a flat ground blade sounds interesting....I bet rehoning time will be tough though!

How does it feel in the hand being so thin? I would worry about the thin blade and ample looking scales possibly being of balance.

Anyway, I hope my questions don't sound as if they are negative. Just curious about how it will feel in use.

If and when your ready to sell these I'd be glad to add one to my growing arsenal or member made razors.

Tony

Tony,
Thank you for your comments and questions/concerns.

I make hunting and skinning knives from this same steel that resharpen very easily and are tempered nearly the same.

It doesn't have the blade weight of a conventional razor, it balances just behind the pivot pin and the overall package is super lightweight. Well if there was interest in them I had thought about making more to sell, I'd be happy to make you one. You can email me through my profile.
Best Regards
Kaleb

I have a frameback I would like to send you for study. it is made similar to yours but along the spine it has what looks like a piece of brass tubing to give it just the right angle for honing. if your interested let me know.

Mark Avery

Forgot to mention your razor looks nice buut looks a tad heavy at the scales.

JM, yes I have seen those types of razors which have a thin blade inserted into a thicker spine, i never thought of using a piece of brass tube to make the right angle for honing, I may try that on my next one. please excuse the poor photo but here is the balance point.

forgot to mention, I'd love to take a look at the frameback, may give me some ideas

Originally Posted by JMS

I have a frameback I would like to send you for study. it is made similar to yours but along the spine it has what looks like a piece of brass tubing to give it just the right angle for honing. if your interested let me know.

Mark Avery

I may have the same razor. I picked this up in an Ebay auction (I like the look of framebacks):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&ih=019


The picture was not real clear (so what else is new?) - so when I opened it, I was shocked at what it was, very thin with this brass tubing on the spine, etc., etc.. The tang says:

JON. ENGSTROM
ESKILSTUNA
SWEDEN

I doublt if I will hone it or ever shave with it. It's a curious piece that I'll have around for conversation. It's, also, quite light, which I don't like.

I'm not out a lot for it, more than I wanted to pay, though: $16.29 Oh, well....... could of been worst.

Steve

Originally Posted by zepplin

I may have the same razor. I picked this up in an Ebay auction (I like the look of framebacks):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&ih=019


The picture was not real clear (so what else is new?) - so when I opened it, I was shocked at what it was, very thin with this brass tubing on the spine, etc., etc.. The tang says:

JON. ENGSTROM
ESKILSTUNA
SWEDEN

I doublt if I will hone it or ever shave with it. It's a curious piece that I'll have around for conversation. It's, also, quite light, which I don't like.

I'm not out a lot for it, more than I wanted to pay, though: $16.29 Oh, well....... could of been worst.

Steve

That is exactly the razor!

In my book if it shaves well without skinning your face and will hold an edge its a razor and looks pretty dam good to me , I made one from scratch my self ,thin spine like yours out of ATS34 and didn`t like it so I never finished the honing ,I think you just may have given me the inspiration I needed
kind regards Peter