Alternative tools.

[Mark Yundt]

My other "Hobby" is collecting and restoring straight razors. Lets face it I just love sharp tools either carving,, or shaving. Now I've made several chisels over the years as well as a few knives but this , being a natural extension of my collecting /restoring is another thing compared to those. These tend to be a bit more critical as you lay that blade against your throat!
Anyway, I started with blanks of tool steel. Designed the shapes and then cut them out. I then "carved" out the hollow grinds, did some file work along the spines, heat treated them , tempered them, honed them up and stropped them on my own Latigo strops. I did what is called a 'hanging hair test' and they passed quite easily before putting them to my face.
The first is a Japanese style called a Kamisori where it is a one piece razor. Scales are not usually found on them as they are simply left in all steel. I had to add a little something to mine so I did the file work along the tapered spine,, sculpted some brass liners with file work as well to sit under the Giraffe bone handle material. An odd feature of this style of razor is one side is a complete hollow grind from spine to edge but the opposite side is only a half hollow.
The traditional razor picture here was also from tool steel, ground, file worked over the spine prior to finishing. The scales are Cocobolo.
Getting to use a tool you made, for something as personal as shaving your face, adds a different level to the usually boring and often hated act of shaving.
Hope you enjoy these.

[Mel Fulks]

Great looking and interesting stuff. How would you judge them compared to high quality purchased razors?

[Mark Yundt]

In my collection I have over 230 ( not counting the double edge type) razors from all the famous makers going back to the mid 1800's so that's my only basis of comparison. And these are easily as good,, if not in some respects much better. I have Puma Golds which are reputed to be one of the best along with W&B's,, Double Ducks, etc.etc. ,,,, and I like mine much better. Mine just slide across your face, silently, completing the job in nearly one pass.

[Jim Underwood]

Hmmmmm... I don't have any problems with shaving. I just don't shave.

Why follow those terrible Romans who started that nonsense anyway?

Nice work as always Mark.

[Mel Fulks]

So that you have a good way to test sharpening stones.

[Mark Yundt]

Exactly! Just think of all the people at Norton,, and the mines in Japan,, etc.. that would be out of business!
Besides,, it's just fun! Think you're pretty good with sharp edge tools? Give one of these a whirl.

[David Weaver]

Nice work, Mark. I've thought about making a kamisori (but due to laziness, it would be much more plain), as well as other razors. The one thing that has kept me from making a western style razor is as time goes on, I get to appreciate more and more the style of razor that has a super delicate hollow grind and a fair amount of weight in the spine (and without being shoulderless). Razors of that type are exceedingly rare, I have found exactly one and have yet to find another razor from the same maker. Some of the older french style razors are close, being heavier at the top without having a heavy grind at the edge.

But I don't mind a chopper, either, very japanese (the japanese folders I've had have all been silent assassins with a deceptively heavy grind).

[Mark Yundt]

Hello David , and thanks. I'm curious, what brand is the razor you are talking about.

[David Weaver]

Friedrich Dennert. It's a super extra hollow ground razor with a heavy spine and some spinework that appears to be part of a forging, and not engraved, filed or ground.

It sings because it's so hollow, but it has the weight to pull straight from the cheekbone all the way to the adams apple without stopping. And unlike a lot of super hollow razors, it is dead straight and sits nicely flat on the hone on both sides.

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/1555/p1040741c.jpg

Poor picture on my part, at the time I was just trying to find out if it was a known maker so I could buy a bunch more. it's a strong 6/8, and I got it pretty cheap on ebay several years ago.

Shaving is like anything else, except even more so maybe when you find a razor that you like - you just want exactly what you want. For the guys where that's a lightweight 5/8 extra hollow ground, life is easy - I guess not a lot of guys probably shaved like I do, and you probably do too if you prefer some weight in the razor.

[Karl Andersson]

Beautiful and artistic work Mark, I bet it's a nice break from carving acanthi (acanthuses?). Think I'll stick with my disposable razors, though - my carvings are normally finished "from the knife" (or whatever phrase Chris Pye uses) with gouge-marks intact; I'm sure my face would look like that too if I used something like these. But then, the back of my left hand is usually pretty hairless from testing blades, and no cut there...

Thanks for keeping the forum going - will try to do the same when I'm done scraping and painting the house...

Karl

[Mark Yundt]

David,, beautiful piece. It reminds me of an unusual razor I have ( Hugo Hohn) with the engraving and the case , very unique , is actually part of the razor. I just hate to clog up a woodworking forum with more razors.

Karl, Thanks. Although in this case I sort of made a 180 with my post. It's not directly applicable to 'carving' or even woodwork. I just figured that if any others were like me,, tool junkies of any sort, they might get a kick out of these. Then to making chisels and custom knives which would be appropriate isn't far away from this thread. I just find too many things interesting.

[David Weaver]

If bringing up the topic gets even one more person to start shaving with a straight razor, that's great. And the person who does it will be ecstatic once they've done it for a year, even if none of us are ever going to make the quality of shaving gear that you've made.

I'd be glad to see the razor you're talking about, by this point in the thread, only the shavers are probably still reading. I could never get a picture of the grind like I was talking about, but someone else got a picture of a dennert on B&B from the front. This is far more instructive than the picture of my dirty old user is:

Thin grind and heavy spine

[Mark Yundt]

That certainly is a fine edge! I just posted a CVH that I was restoring where there was some pitting along the edge which basically said " tear on the dotted line" and didn't the blade do just that! I made it a shorty, added Giraffe bone scales and the client was very happy.
Here is the piece , Hugo Hohn, that has some spine work that reminded me of yours. I also think it's clever how the scales are the end cap for the case the razor slides into. Almost a travel version if you will. Just an interesting razor and concept.
Here is a link which I'm sure you have seen of some other custom work I've done.
www.flickr.com/photos/markyundt

[David Weaver]

More nice work.

I do like the razors with spinework, especially if it is a little out of the ordinary. That's the first case I've seen like that. It's a really nice idea, I like it.

[Steve Bates]

This is why I started shaving with a straight razor about 6-8 months ago. Like Jim, I've a full beard, but I don't like it on my throat or that little patch under my lower lip.

Thanks, Mark for your video showing how your edges clip a hand held hair. I thought I'd improved my edge (I actually have) but I didn't try that trick until your video. Thanks for the reality check.

Some day I hope to get an edge that sharp. I'm getting closer, the hair gets clipped in spots on the edge. And it's a better shave.