when to take on making a razor

wow the more I look at what you guys do the more I am thankful that I work in a machine shop with a very cool boss that is more than happy to let me use his shop for my projects.. perhaps one day I can work out some great blades like some of the great members here..


but the question of the members that have taken on some blades of their own and for the ones that have been doing it awhile.'

what are the biggest set backs you have dealt with and how would you have gone about it differently? would you have waited to start on a razor project or do you wish you would have started sooner.

as a person with access to every tool you could possibly need I am very anxious to start a project but also I am cautious enough to know that I am capable of getting in over my head..

any and all stories and or help is appreciated

THanks

Boog

with all the great toools in the shop you could get close to shape milling and what not but the thinning of the bevels will beed to be done by hand i think as the blade will flex quite a bit when it gets thin

The two hardest aspects in my book are learning to grind the hollows and learning how to get a decent mirror finish.

Heat treating has a learning curve, too, but if you have access to a machine shop you probably have some good heat treating equipment at your disposal.

You really need a wheel grinder of some kind to pull off the hollow grinds. I can't think of a way to do that off hand with traditional machine tools, but then again I'm pretty far from a machinist. :)

Josh

For me grinding is the hardest part. It is easy to get it 80% good, but a lot harder to get the grinds all the way good.

Charlie

hey thanks for the comments guys.. another cool aspect of where I work is I build belt sanders and wood working equipment( bowl lathes, wood lathes, and an assortment of sanders.)

but it seems that the hard part would be the hollow grinding.. I guess I will expect to burn through more than a few.

and yeah I also have access to heating equipment but I dont think it will get hot enough. it only makes it to about 400 degrees.

thanks for the input so far.

Boog

400 will not cut it
depending on the steel and the what you get it in you will need at least 1550f better yet even for simple steels 1650 (1095 and higher carbon should have at leat one cycle at 1750f to get the carbides spread )
then a few grain refinements before last hardening temp
then 400 will be fine for the temper
good quenching oil is also a big help

uh.......yeah this is something I have a ton to learn about.. and I have to learn about every aspect of it.. but hey, I aint scared away just yet. I have been checkin others heating set ups. I imagine after reading this forum for another seven months I may know my rear from a hole in the ground as this is concerned.

In the end Boog, despite all our advice about what works or what doesn't, you'll have to find your way with your tools in your shop. Your razors will be a compilation of all the tips and tricks you learn from others and then adapt to the stuff you have to make blades and get them ready to shave.

Plan on spending years getting it all understood.

Your primary tool will be a belt grinder like a KMG or a Bader. A method of varying the speed is mandatory, either pulleys or VFD.
The hard part is grinding the hollow, concave, part of the blade. That just takes practice, lots of it!:)