Thread: New Blade Production- Unrealistic?

Originally Posted by jockeys

That would be possible, but it would also be worthless. Unless the blades are properly heat treated and tempered, they will never take an edge.

True. However, I'm pretty sure that I've seen Bill Ellis say that he sends his blades off to be heat treated after getting them ready. So apparently there is a service for doing this.
Of course, now you're outsourcing the grinding, and the heat treating, leaving you nothing but the honing and scales to make money on....And perhaps the custom file work between grinding and treating.

Convincing Americans to return to straights en masse? Surely you jest. If you want a laugh go to a web site devoted to cartridge razor shavers (there must be one, there's a site for everything) and try and convince them. If your lucky they will just laugh you off the ste and the opinions are apt to be alot stronger. It would be like someone who's anti gun going on a site devoted to gun enthusiasts to explain their position if you get the picture.

Actually about 4 years ago there was to be an American company producing straight razors. It was to be called the American Straight Razor Company and Classic Shaving was to be its sales point. Apparently, at some point they realized the economics were not in their favor and the whole thing fell through. Lynn may have a little more info about that venture and what happened.

I love this dialogue. I feel like I'm getting a wider perspective.

To the bigspendur, I agree there is palpable opposition but I have this 'feeling' that the time is comming for the straight razor. Not for all of it's classical attributes, but more so due to economics. They are simply more efficient than cartridge razors over the long haul. Wait, wait- preaching to the choir, sorry.

Anyway, I think the idea of straights being 'luxury items' is the first step toward their return. I think the time is comming where their popularity will be widespread- but then again I thought Communism was bound to fail when I was 13, in 1984. I said the same thing in basic training to my instructors and they thought I was crazy. Who's laughing now!!!!!

Sorry.

Anyway, I see this as a big waiting to be explored- but of course there's just so much risk at the time being. Trying to revive the dead can get costly.

Yea and people will get rid of their cars and get horses and we will all move into caves to live and women will throw away their automatic washers and dishwashers and go boil water and beat the clothes clean and use ash for soap. Modern day people are never going to go back to all that is required to shave with a straight even on the most basic level. It goes against everything "modern". People will not take the time to learn and maintain. Thats the way I see it.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Yea and people will get rid of their cars and get horses and we will all move into caves to live and women will throw away their automatic washers and dishwashers and go boil water and beat the clothes clean and use ash for soap. Modern day people are never going to go back to all that is required to shave with a straight even on the most basic level. It goes against everything "modern". People will not take the time to learn and maintain. Thats the way I see it.

It sucks, but I think you are prolly correct.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Yea and people will get rid of their cars and get horses and we will all move into caves to live and women will throw away their automatic washers and dishwashers and go boil water and beat the clothes clean and use ash for soap. Modern day people are never going to go back to all that is required to shave with a straight even on the most basic level. It goes against everything "modern". People will not take the time to learn and maintain. Thats the way I see it.

We did. and with little instruction at that!

Yeah we did, but at the same time, we still go on using dishwashers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, electric ovens, microwave ovens, coffee machines, ...

Though I admit I use an antique manual grinder to grind my coffee beans.
To be honest, we still use preground beans regularly because grinding coffee manually is a bit tedious.

The only way you're gonna be able to get a production run going is to eliminate nearly all the hand steps. I don't know if sintered CPM techniques could produce an acceptable blade, but it's quite possible - I think some of the artisans are using CPM steel, so you'd just need to front the cost for the mould. But this could get you blanks coming out with no grinding needed, just polish to a matte finish, harden and temper (which is cheap IIRC - something like $5/blade in double-digit quantities), then hone on a couple of continuous belts with pastes. A CNC machine could cut one-piece scales from laminate, and simple takedown pivot like feather uses to put everything together with a minimum of labor and skill. You'd wind up with a workmanlike razor, and the biggest expense is probably the initial mould, but there might be a market for such a razor. But how big of a market? 200 pieces? Remember that you're competing with ebay, and every bit of labor you add makes you less competive with the 'bay. So if you want gold trim or a mirror polish that's gonna cost extra, though jimps, worked backs, and even engraving can probably be incorporated into the initial mould.

IMO the sticking points for expanding the market isn't just the expense of razors, it's also the fear of putting a bare blade to your face, and the significant challenges of the honing and stropping. I think youtube helps with the fear issue, and it would be nice if there were an inexpensive and good razor that could push pakistani simco crap out of the mall knife shops. But until a guy can take his new razor home and just use it every day with his canned goop and with little more care than his M3 the straight razor market will remain miniscule compared to the DE market, much less the general shaving market. Expanding the market this way doesn't do anything directly for the traditional makers, or for the brush and soap guys, but they will get plenty of business from christmas and birthdays.

Thats one interesting hurdle to overcome. Also the one that attracted us to straights in the first place. Their own longevity. Its hard to make a living by making a product that lasts a hundred years or more by design, there are few repeat orders. Customer loyalty doesn't matter because if they like your product they won't buy one again and if they don't like it.... You are also competing with every razor made for the last hundred years or so, the used market brings down the price of the new market. After a few years you are even trying to compete in the marketplace against a used market already full of your own product.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Yeah we did, but at the same time, we still go on using dishwashers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, electric ovens, microwave ovens, coffee machines, ...

Though I admit I use an antique manual grinder to grind my coffee beans.
To be honest, we still use preground beans regularly because grinding coffee manually is a bit tedious.

I use my teeth.. more control over how course the grind is that way.

I think it would be great to have a made in USA razor Hell, looking at many of the ones that have passed through my hands, there used to be lots, but those economic realities... wow.

So don't go all out at first, start with the niche market, eh?