Thread: Modding / Restoration WIP

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Arrrghhhhh! Now I want the dark blue Tam!
What I like about the Tam's is when I raise on slurry on it then it cuts very quickly.
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A number of years ago one of our members here, Coully, went to the Tam O'Shanter quarry and met with the owner, Kenneth Montgomerie.
The mine was no longer being used because it did not have the necessary safety permits. So, the owner had quarried out a pile of rock from which he filled orders.
Coully (Simon Coull, https://www.facebook.com/coully) had a bunch of pics which he posted here. I do not remember the name of the town but I do remember that the owner was a bit non-social! He never returned his calls!

Originally Posted by randydance062449

.
.
Arrrghhhhh! Now I want the dark blue Tam!
What I like about the Tam's is when I raise on slurry on it then it cuts very quickly.
.
A number of years ago one of our members here, Coully, went to the Tam O'Shanter quarry and met with the owner, Kenneth Montgomerie.
The mine was no longer being used because it did not have the necessary safety permits. So, the owner had quarried out a pile of rock from which he filled orders.
Coully (Simon Coull, https://www.facebook.com/coully) had a bunch of pics which he posted here. I do not remember the name of the town but I do remember that the owner was a bit non-social! He never returned his calls!

It's quite cool isn't it... I can't detect much noticeable difference in terms of 'grit' level, how it acts &c. but sure does look pretty!

I'll have a search on the forum to find those pics of the visit, must have been very cool. I didn't know they were still doing orders supposedly (if he answers calls), but makes sense... presumably that's where these came from (?): https://www.demessenslijper.nl/ayr-stones/

One of my other Tams is a weird shape, the other a small size, so I'd not really done a huge amount of normal sharpening or honing on them. It was only when I got the blue one that really I noticed what you say - with slurry they can cut really quite quickly. That one leaves a really nice, very-fine-but-toothy edge on a kitchen knife if you atoma it a bit before. I haven't tried it as a finishing stone for a razor though, as I assume they're not quite fine enough...?

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Here's one of my others; an oval shape stick 'For Pruning Shears and Secateurs', which I got in a cheap job lot and had no idea what to do with. So, in another bout of fixing-things-that-weren't-broken, made into The Celebrated Tam O'Shanter Scotch Honing Rod (I did save the label)...

I recommend to learn how to remove scales without damage and do no mods to blades as going down this knife-handled road.
Surely someday you may see that those who made these razors knew what they were doing.
Being able to go back is a blessing more often than not. Changing your mind without the parts to begin anew can be a challenge.

The articulation of the scales in relation to the tang angle made/make for a multi-faceted tool for a job requiring it.
Nice to have scales for use instead of just cracking them off.

Much the same experience might be had in the honing dept. by going with common synthetics first and learning on something consistent instead of the wild variations of found, odd, natural and non razor hones. No advise can be more certain than on common synthetics.
Adversely, no advise could be more sketchy than that on unknown individual naturals and stones not intended for razors..
JMHO

Certainly good points, though perhaps I haven’t made all this clear (I did try, but a few people seem to have jumped to quite a lot of assumptions)...

I know how to, and do, remove scales without damaging them. And as I said - the tangs are not modified specifically so that I can remove a handle should I change my mind in the future. If I did so I’d probably make my own scales, as these ones had fairly shoddy plastic ones and I didn’t like them.

I also have razors that I’ve kept the original scales on, and which I use equally often. For me they are no better or worse in use than fixed handles, in fact I find them very similar indeed. I do however prefer fixed handles for honing.

Likewise, I have quite a lot of synthetic stones that I use as well, mostly Japanese waterstones; Shaptons, Naniwas, Suehiros, Kings. Some Nortons too though I don’t use them for razors. I just find natural stones more interesting, and at the finer end of things I like them better for SRs. The reason that I did an all natural progression here is that I don’t have any of my synths with me, they’re all back in Aus - I’m visiting family in the UK atm, and only have stones I’ve picked up here. This was actually the first time I’ve done bevel set and mid range work on natural stones, and tbh it surprised me they worked as well as they did - I was expecting it to take far longer to do well.

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As I say - perhaps I didn’t make the above clear, but I wasn’t necessarily looking for advice about honing here, I’m quite comfortable with it. More just trying to hear any more detailed thoughts people might have about the relative merits and demerits of fixed vs hinged handles. I fully expect some people not like fixed handles, but I was kinda hoping they might think about and explain why, because as I said... *for me* they are almost identical in use.

(p.s. I don’t mean to have a dig at you there! Just trying to explain better than I did originally.)

(p.p.s. Are any natural stones ‘intended’ for razors? Or indeed, apart from BHs, any synthetics...?)

I can start with a couple advantages that hinged handles have, which no one’s pointed out. One is (or was) significant, the other I’m not so sure about yet...

1.) A hinged handle that moves almost 360 degs is probably going to be far better for shaving other people than a fixed handle would be - as in a barber shop. Though obviously that’s less relevant now than back in the day.

2.) If you look at a hinged razor in two dimensions, then the balance point on the X axis tends to be around the pivot point when the handle is straight at 180 degs. If you move the handle up or down then the balance point shifts forward toward the blade, as well as up or down on the Y axis. You cannot do this with a fixed handle razor. So far I’ve found it doesn’t affect me too much when shaving, but balance points tend to be quite important, so I’d be interested to hear what others thought on the matter - whether the ability to change specifically the balance point was an important feature...

Originally Posted by cotedupy

I can start with a couple advantages that hinged handles have, which no one’s pointed out. One is (or was) significant, the other I’m not so sure about yet...

1.) A hinged handle that moves almost 360 degs is probably going to be far better for shaving other people than a fixed handle would be - as in a barber shop. Though obviously that’s less relevant now than back in the day.
Not necessarily. Wakamisori are not hinged & were generally used by a barber or servant on their employer.

2.) If you look at a hinged razor in two dimensions, then the balance point on the X axis tends to be around the pivot point when the handle is straight at 180 degs. If you move the handle up or down then the balance point shifts forward toward the blade, as well as up or down on the Y axis. You cannot do this with a fixed handle razor. So far I’ve found it doesn’t affect me too much when shaving, but balance points tend to be quite important, so I’d be interested to hear what others thought on the matter - whether the ability to change specifically the balance point was an important feature...

Never thought about balance as scales are usually so light as to be insignificant. I've always considered them to just be a protector for the edge when closed tho shaving or honing without them does feel "unbalanced".

Originally Posted by cotedupy

Interesting handle idea but for practical purposes are you loosing the handle half of the stone?

Originally Posted by 32t

Interesting handle idea but for practical purposes are you loosing the handle half of the stone?

Ah no... stone only goes in about 1cm, just a bit further than the sliver of Red Mallee at the end. Tams of any shape don’t seem to get much longer than that I don’t think...

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Never thought about balance as scales are usually so light as to be insignificant. I've always considered them to just be a protector for the edge when closed tho shaving or honing without them does feel "unbalanced".

Yep indeed - very light, but quite long, and that pulls balance back loads. It is surprising how much difference the balance point makes I think. Though I’ve never tried shaving with a unhandled razor, I have tried honing them a few times, and it’s considerably more annoying and tricksy (I find anyway).

Originally Posted by cotedupy

Ah no... stone only goes in about 1cm, just a bit further than the sliver of Red Mallee at the end. Tams of any shape don’t seem to get much longer than that I don’t think...

But how do you use the stone at the handle end?

Show me how to sharpen a pruning shears with the handle attatched?

Similar to a sythe stone you use both ends.

Or if you put a handle on one end you loose the abiltiy to use that end.