i made this tonight...

i was at work the other night *(mechanic for AA) and was semi-bored so i started rearranging all my tools... i found a old file and got to looking at it.... and decided to make my own razor.... i roughed out the general shape i wanted and then took it home......... i was very careful not to overheat the steel as i started shaping the blade... working it down to what i wanted it to be....

it was truthfully a fast build.... using my table top belt sander and my 3" bench grinder for the heavy stuff... then when i felt i had it almost where i wanted it i started flattening out the side *(it is a wedge shaped blade.. as hollow grinding is beyond my capabilities here at home) with wet or dry 220 then i went to 400 and smoothed the sides...... i then put 3 layers of tape on the spine and set the bevel with my 1000 grit waterstone... then progressed to 6000 grit for final honing... followed by stropping on my homemade strop.... OMG is this thing sharp...:dropjaw:

it is not a work of art by any means.... and is probably quite amateurish in most peoples eyes.... but *(seeing as i had already shaved tonight) my wife asked me to shave her legs from the knees down to give it a test run......... she was very impressed with the fact that it was MUCH smoother than her 5blade pos that she normally uses..... *(and i didn't cut/nick, or razor burn her)...

here are a few pics... please be gentle.... *(i may refine it in the near future... but the blade is straight.. the wedge is true... and i am afraid i may mess it up.... )

http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...552599_324.jpg
http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...552599_324.jpg
http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...552599_324.jpg

I think it is great first razor, you will go up from here no dobnt about it.

looks neat! nice use of old material. I like it. You said there may be room for you to improve, but that is a matter of opinion. If you wanna do better go for it, but I think it looks great! I am from the school of thought, if you worked to the best of your ability and are happy with the results good for you.
I really dig it. well done.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by paco664

i was at work the other night *(mechanic for AA) and was semi-bored so i started rearranging all my tools... i found a old file and got to looking at it.... and decided to make my own razor.... i roughed out the general shape i wanted and then took it home......... i was very careful not to overheat the steel as i started shaping the blade... working it down to what i wanted it to be....

it was truthfully a fast build.... using my table top belt sander and my 3" bench grinder for the heavy stuff... then when i felt i had it almost where i wanted it i started flattening out the side *(it is a wedge shaped blade.. as hollow grinding is beyond my capabilities here at home) with wet or dry 220 then i went to 400 and smoothed the sides...... i then put 3 layers of tape on the spine and set the bevel with my 1000 grit waterstone... then progressed to 6000 grit for final honing... followed by stropping on my homemade strop.... OMG is this thing sharp...:dropjaw:

it is not a work of art by any means.... and is probably quite amateurish in most peoples eyes.... but *(seeing as i had already shaved tonight) my wife asked me to shave her legs from the knees down to give it a test run......... she was very impressed with the fact that it was MUCH smoother than her 5blade pos that she normally uses..... *(and i didn't cut/nick, or razor burn her)...

here are a few pics... please be gentle.... *(i may refine it in the near future... but the blade is straight.. the wedge is true... and i am afraid i may mess it up.... )

http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...552599_324.jpg
http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...552599_324.jpg
http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...552599_324.jpg

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Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder!!

If it gives you a nice, clean and comfortable shave why mess with it??

Looks great to me! I love to see old files turned into useful things again and you've done a brilliant job. It doesn't have to look like art to do what it's meant to do as you've just proved. Nice one.

p.s. You've got lovely legs! heh heh

If it shaves I say leave it as it is. It may not be the prettiest but it serves it's purpose and if you continue to make razors it will remind you of how far you have come.

I agree with the previous post, hang on to that one and that way you will have one to refer to as your work gets only better with the practice of making more. Great job indeed!

BTW, I was hoping that pic wasn't of your leg...

Leave it as is, one of a kind that shaves well.........if it ain't broke don't fix it. Nice work.

thanks guys.... that leg belongs to my 6 foot tall amazon wife.....

That is a very cool razor. It is a great feeling to shave with a self made razor, enjoy it.

Charlie

'Very big 'Grats! That's very cool.

I'll take a bunch of odd looking results from my own hands to alot of other options. You DID IT, You learned, You gained some skill. You can't do that by reading or watching videos. Big kudos for jumping in and trying your hand at it.

I'll be amazed if we don't see some lovely work from your hands on the restoration threads & maybe more of your own blades from scratch. Keep going!

I agree with the others. It looks great.
Thanks for sharing.

Excellent work. Even looks as though you're shaving against the grain (ATG)? Pretty dang awesome.

Jim

Looks like a fine razor to me and more importantly as you said, it's a great shaver.

Looks pretty nice to me. A whole lot better looking and more useful than an old file would have been otherwise. I hope it continues to shave well and I can't wait to see what comes next.

thanks again fellas....

i actually WANT to make a razor from a old railroad spike..... they make incredible knives....

Nice work, I shall have to try that myself I'm sure I have an old file in the shed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by paco664

thanks again fellas....

i actually WANT to make a razor from a old railroad spike..... they make incredible knives....

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If you can make one from an old railroad spike I think that would officially make top 10 coolest things I've ever seen. I say go for it!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by paco664

thanks again fellas....

i actually WANT to make a razor from a old railroad spike..... they make incredible knives....

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I work for a railroad and really don't think they would be hard enough to make a good knife. If you want one, PM me and I will send you a few for postage. IMO they are made of too soft of a steel & don't have enough carbon in them. I've made a few knives & razors and haven't even considered them as a source for knives. What would make a better knife would be a coil spring or leaf spring...again, that's just my opinion. I've seen a few made out of them in pictures, but don't think they would be very usable...

A file as we know is a high carbon steel, much more suitable for knives & razors.

thanks...the railroad passes 3 blocks from my house and there are a butt load just laying on the ground....

this will be a long off project because I will need a forge... I have time...lol....

the car leaf springs I will do....

it is possible to shape them without losing the temper but you need a container of water and lots of patience....

Very good Paco! Glad to see that you made the leap. Grinding an old file is about as difficult as it gets. Keep that razor. You will like it more & more as time goes on.

I like it! Congratulations on your first build! Looking forward to seeing more!

changed it up a bit last night.... the wedge shape i made didnot jive well with the bevel i put on it.... while it worked fine on mary's legs when i tried my face it was unsatisfactory.... soooooo.... i put a slight hollow grind on it *(at work... :D).. i lost about 3/32 of height on the blade..... when i got home i did the 220/400/1000/6000 thing again...

there are grind marks on the flats that i have to remove... gonna make a special "tool" out of dowels and a high speed cordless drill using varying grits to polish it out without cutting off a finger/hand/arm/neck....

i need to get my hands on a 8000g stone...

photos will follow...

You mean to tell me you shaved your wife's legs before you tried it out on yourself...shame on you...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shooter74743

You mean to tell me you shaved your wife's legs before you tried it out on yourself...shame on you...

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i had already shaved.....lol....

it was her idea....

the devil made me do it....

You shouldn't let anyone run down this fascinating piece of work because it looks a trifle rustic. It should remind us that file steel is perfectly good razor steel, and while obtaining a shaving edge demands care and some scepticism about crafty labour-saving tricks, it needn't be some sort of higher science or black magic.

A razor with short tang and scales may be handier to use. Hollow grinding will make it balance better, and reduce the tendency for lather to drip around. A good polish is a big help in preventing rust from starting. But those are refinements. You did the hard bit.

Well, not entirely perhaps. It should also remind us that blades may shave arm (or presumably leg) hair very convincingly , and yet fail to shave a face. But I think you will get around that all right.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Caledonian

You shouldn't let anyone run down this fascinating piece of work because it looks a trifle rustic. It should remind us that file steel is perfectly good razor steel, and while obtaining a shaving edge demands care and some scepticism about crafty labour-saving tricks, it needn't be some sort of higher science or black magic.

A razor with short tang and scales may be handier to use. Hollow grinding will make it balance better, and reduce the tendency for lather to drip around. A good polish is a big help in preventing rust from starting. But those are refinements. You did the hard bit.

Well, not entirely perhaps. It should also remind us that blades may shave arm (or presumably leg) hair very convincingly , and yet fail to shave a face. But I think you will get around that all right.

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thank you!!

it did shave my face.. but something about the wedge shape of the blade was unsettling to me in the mirror........

now however i have put a semi hollow grind on the blade... and honed it back out and i have 2 shaves with it.... i am enjoying it more and more.....

there are a few refinements i will do sun-mon while i am off work.... i hope to be finished with it completely by monday night...

photos will follow....

thanks again for the kind words...

I was thinking about doing this also and Baldy directed me to this thread. Well I am gonna try it, I just got done restoring a Wade and Butcher and I feel this is the next logical step. Thanks for the inspirration!!!!
P.S. you don't have to know how to spell to make a straight razor......I hope.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mastershake

I was thinking about doing this also and Baldy directed me to this thread. Well I am gonna try it, I just got done restoring a Wade and Butcher and I feel this is the next logical step. Thanks for the inspirration!!!!
P.S. you don't have to know how to spell to make a straight razor......I hope.

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lol... spelling not necessary...

just remember to take your time and keep a container of water handy for dunking it...... when you feel heat on your fingertips immd cool it... that way you won't chase out the temper and have to send it off........

i find this one that i made to be especially pleasing to use.... has a kinda warmth to it that the other one i have don't.... i honestly think it has something to do with not being fully hollow ground and the thicker blade and heavier weight are comforting and easier for me to control *(im a good sized guy with big hands)...

best of luck with your attempt i hope it makes you as happy as i am with mine........*p.s. i am going to be selling off some of my eclectic collection of razors...lol...