DA Mod

Well, the spirit of Seraphim took me and I decided to do a little shaping up on my DA.

I kept it subtle--mostly because I was totally freaked out about making too much noise, to be honest. Japanese apartments are supposed to be QUIET, and that rotary tool was LOUD. I took a diamond file to it after the grinder, and had surprisingly good results on the heel...

My initial plans were a tiny bit more ambitious, but I'm still overall pleased. I got rid of the shoulders, and put a tiny little S-curve in the tip (I had planned more of a Spanish tip, but oh well) and curved the heel more. I also breadknifed a lot of the smile out of it...which should make for a nice honing challenge, when I get around to it.

Next, I want to polish up the grinds...any tips on matching the original satin finish? I like it...

Also, what do you think of the shape? I'm not sure about the heel...any ideas welcome!

Pretty cool, Jim. Do you have a before pic to compare to? I like what you did with the toe, but I think the heel is a little....shallow? Overall, though, for a first I think it turned out superb! :tu

does not even look like a da nice job:tu

Nice I have been thinking of removing the shoulders on mine and now I really want to.

great work.

Thanks guys. 'Tis an improvement...the shoulders on the old one were pathetic. And the tip was kind of boring...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Truckman

Pretty cool, Jim. Do you have a before pic to compare to? I like what you did with the toe, but I think the heel is a little....shallow? Overall, though, for a first I think it turned out superb! :tu

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Thanks!

Yeah, there's something wrong with the heel...but I can't figure out exactly what.

I think it might have something to do with the lack of definition where I removed the shoulders...the lack of a line there makes it look like the heel goes all the way to the top of the spine, throwing off the balance.
Maybe.
the only before pic I could find...it doesn't really show the sorry state of the shoulders:

Wow! That's quite a change there! The more I'm looking at it, the more I'm liking how it turned out, Jim.

But, if you're looking for an idea, maybe take a little bit off the heel to straighten it up some, then go into a thumb notch.... here's what I did with MSPaint...

Attachment 23771

I think the modded heel is fine. It's reminiscent of a Dovo Renaissance.

Truckman's suggestion of a transition into a thumb notch would be good too.

I don't like thumb notches. They look good, but it makes stropping difficult for me; I flip with my thumb and index finger, plus the razor does not feel that secure while using it, IMO. This should be a consideration.

* Yea, everybody's got an opinion! :rolleyes:

Regards,

Steve

Thanks again for the comment guys. I think I'm going to pass on the thumbnotch...I like the look of them, but I've never used one, and it might end up looking a little gawky.

Anyway, I took the file to the DA again last night and opened up the angle at the heel a bit...I also did my best to straighten the lines and improve the definition between the hollow and the spine. I think there's some real improvement here.

What do you think? Also...no jimps? Yes jimps?

What would Seraphim do? ;)

Seriously, though, I think some fine jimps at least on the bottom of the shank would be in order here.

Wow Jim....friggin' awesome! I really like what you did with it.... I'm going to vote no jimps...but that's just me...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Truckman

Wow! That's quite a change there! The more I'm looking at it, the more I'm liking how it turned out, Jim.

But, if you're looking for an idea, maybe take a little bit off the heel to straighten it up some, then go into a thumb notch.... here's what I did with MSPaint...

Attachment 23771

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That thumbnotch looks pretty good, but it won't balance a DA well at all. The thumbnotch on a DA needs to be mid-tang, otherwise, if it's way forward like that, it'll mean that you need to put three fingers in front of the scales, and your pinky on the monkey tail to get it to work

Looks good Jim!

Looks great , but more then that ,,,I give you props on having big enuff ***** to give that a go!!! LOL:rofl2:

Thanks for everything guys.

I'm thinking I'm done with the grinder and the file. I like the shape, so it's time to move on. Now to the sanding!

Where should I start? 60 grit? 80?

I think the consensus is start higher, then go lower only if the higher grit isn't cutting it. Yes, 80 will take lines off in a hurry, but you could just be creating more work for yourself. If it's ground fairly smooth, start off with 200 and see how it goes. You can always go lower.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JimR

Next, I want to polish up the grinds...any tips on matching the original satin finish? I like it...

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Not sure on the original look as I don't have one but Scotchbrite gives a great Satin Finish.
btw Nice work:tu

Ok folks, here she is...my finished DA mod.

It was a learning experience...and not a perfectly good one, either. I never did get the finish right...and the grinds where the shoulders used to be are there for good, it looks like. But...the shape is nice, and the scales (donated by O_S. Many thanks!) seem to work well. I got it honed up and she shaves well. Not fantastic, good enough for work.

Nice work Jim. Finish looks good. Like the scales & pins too.