Making Straight Razors WIP - stock to Str8

Substance

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2016
Location
Gladstone, Queensland, Australia
I have planned to make a couple of Straights for my Nephew & Sons 21st, both in the next month odd
so thought I would share this Work In Progress (WIP) of my method for making straight razors from scratch
this will be a from bar stock to completed razor WIP over the next few weeks so be patient & stay tuned

the boys Straight Razors are going to be in the 6/8" range as both are be straight razor newbies

Current spec's
Blade size 6/8" (+/- 1/16") * 70mm edge with 75mm tang keeping to traditional straight razor specs
Grind 3/4 to full hollow ground
Steel options - O1 25*6mm bar stock from Bohler or will possibly try forging a multilayered option from 1084/1095 & 15n20 from Gameco bar stock I have - its all leasons to learn
Scales & wedge will be custom paper micarta or all resin scales
Washers to be silver eyelet type
Pins Nickle silver or 416SS


Now the WIP

Started by drawing up my blade options in Draft sight 2018 to play with & check grind radius's etc, it is a free 2D Drafting program that is relatively easy to use, so far
the drawing is of a very straight stock removal Straight Razor but I am leaning on forging & giving them a slight smile it was more for the wheel sizes for the hollows

MNqe9IP.png


I have also started playing with making my own paper micarta & full resin scales to trial some options to get their initials or an image in the scales ( final designs to be confirmed just playing at this stage )
had 1 complete fail not enough resin or over clamped it, also the Blue & red resin colour did not saturate enough in the white paper on the 1st 2 goes,
so have moved to coloured paper & coloured resin, but I may change from this & go to something more traditional anyway

LYLrT8J.jpg

made up a 60*150*12mm scales mold & pressing form from a poly cutting board
the base is screwed on so I can pull it apart & press the scales out when dry

The resin used so far is the PROTITE clear casting & embedding resin from Bunning's ( cheap @ $22 for 500ml of learning )

The dyes (blue, red & yellow) are Alumilite from the recent additions over at Artisan Supplies

and the chameleon powders are from China via the evilbay
 
ANZAC day was forge day since the weekend will be yard reno days,
I started with O1 stock bars and hand forged out some blanks and since the forge was hot I thought I would hammer out a batch while in the swing of it ( pun intended ),
4 x 6/8" from 20x5 stock
4 x 8/8" from 25x6 stock
a small Kamisori from a short end piece of 25x6 that was about 50mm long
I only wish I could grind as quick to match,

2GtHUKn.jpg

ofxkXdJ.jpg

gC6qeSX.jpg


Also got my first Damascus billet started, 9 layers 5 of 1075 (1/4") + 4 layers 15N20 (2mm)
Started at 25mm wide x 41mm high x 100mm long, in an hour and a half I ended up at 30 wide X 25 high X 130 long until I ran out of gas in the 18kg bottle,
so into the vermiculite until the next round,
and damn that steel doesn't move very quick at all by hand, even worse when your gas is dying :banghead:

ffZn2wL.jpg

hLximnw.jpg

9nsmuqa.jpg

gVowlvz.jpg


Also thinking an ANZAC tribute razor may have to come out of the days blanks
but that would be another story

Thanks for looking
 
Awesome man. It's great to see the process. You have the furnace specifically for blades or other uses?

Nice work in the draft sight. I work as a drafty, if having somthing modelled up in 3D would ever help, I'm happy to help out.
 
Awesome man. It's great to see the process. You have the furnace specifically for blades or other uses?

Nice work in the draft sight. I work as a drafty, if having somthing modelled up in 3D would ever help, I'm happy to help out.

Yeh #LukehGee I made the forge for blades only realy, as it is only 3" diameter x18" long, but has a door to open on the back if I need something longer
3D is still a bit overboard for me even, thanks all the same
 
@Substance

Sheesh dude you make we want to get back to Honeing and straight shaving again. Don’t have much time with the little ones And work these days. Have a pile of razors ready for when I get back to it.

Excellent work.
 
Noice.
I wanna see.

Used to have a lot of fun with an iwasaki. Still have but sitting there unloved atm. Need to find the time
 
Yeh full Asymmetrical kamisori's @Rami
@Ferret619 I am actually doing a 4" hollow ground sheeps foot, for practice to be my utility Shed knife, it is only partially rough ground 50 grit,
Awesome!
Something about the sheepsfoot blade that is very pleasing to the eye, plus it’s very inoffensive to non knife folk
 
All packed away safely out of Rami Jr reach ;)
Yep. I caught the bastard cutting himself with a misplaced blade when he was two. He never went into the bathroon unsupervised and just had a tiny scratch.

But let me tell you. Had a few more gray hairs that day.
 
Top