2016 "Gold Dollar" MOD Competition is ON!

[Devonmoonshire]

I'm not navy. We don't use tattletales on mooring lines. When it starts getting skinny and hard as iron, and starts squeaking and burning on the bitts, then you know it's gonna go. But parting mooring lines is actually pretty rare on merchant ships. I guess we get more practice, and we have fewer people interfering with the process.

I would never carry rocks to sea. Too much weight in the seabag and 50 lbs dont leave you much room for the clothes and gear you might need for any climate in the world for the next 4 months or more. Practically all my jobs are flyouts and its already hard enough to not go overweight on the baggage. Even for a pierhead jump, most likely I will still have to fly home. If I will be honing something, I take some lapping film and find some glass on the ship. For my own shaving razor I got my pasted balsa. Or a shavette and some Feathers. For my knives, a carbide pull-through gitser sharp in about 4 seconds.

You Guys Have an amazing amount of respect from me Slash. Merchant Sailors have always been held in the highest regards by me and my whole Family because although we go into harms way, we are prepared for it and well armed, Merchant Vessels are not and when something bad occurs on the high seas such as Piracy, you are in far higher levels of are and yet you do the job anyways which gives you 100% of my Respect my Friend. You are absolutely correct, 50 lbs is not much at all and with that limitation you are definitely hard pressed to get what you need for clothes on board much less extra weight of stones so great call on the small carbide for knives and film for razors

 

[Seraphim]

Film for razors is always a great call.


Just sayin'....

 

[Ericaw]

Just out of curiosity what kind of equipment would a man look into if he wanted to try his hand at modifying some razors?

 

[Fordfather]

Just out of curiosity what kind of equipment would a man look into if he wanted to try his hand at modifying some razors?

That's a big can of worms!

 

[CBLindsay]

Just out of curiosity what kind of equipment would a man look into if he wanted to try his hand at modifying some razors?

This kind of set up gets things done. The sander and Dremel with a variety of attachments (sanders wheels and cut thingies... You know)
And all the safety stuff too. Stuff happens even when you aren't working with sharp razors.
I tape off the blade but that's just to protect the edge, won't protect me from much.

 

[CBLindsay]

Oh yeah ...I should tell you. I am a hack who is just lucky to end up with something usable. There is A TON to know before you start playing around. A TON.

 

[Devonmoonshire]

The first Purchase for myself would be some of those Kevlar Gloves [emoji38]

 

[Ericaw]

That's a big can of worms!

The fact that I'm here on this forum, using straight razors one hundred years my senior should show that cans of worms are my thing.

 

[majorrich]

I've got some concertina wire handlers gloves around here somewhere I can send ya Nate!

 

[Seraphim]

Safety goggles are #1 on the list!

 

[Doc226]

Safety goggles are #1 on the list!

Very true-I would venture and say a safety face shield is better.

http://www.amazon.com/Face-Shield-w...ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1463065379&sr=1-9

 

[CBLindsay]

Very true-I would venture and say a safety face shield is better.

http://www.amazon.com/Face-Shield-w...ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1463065379&sr=1-9

+1 on the eye protection or face shield.
I don't necessarily think gloves are always an ADDED safety feature when working with rapidly spinning things ...that's often one of those "its your call" kind of things. But really, I have never run across a good reason not to have eye protection on. I even wore eye protection working in the lab when the worst that might get in my eye was saline solution that had been sitting out all day.

Reiterating that I am a TOTAL HACK (unlike Seraphim who made my most favorite razor in the world ...thank you! & and Slash Mc Coy & a bunch of others), I suspect that other hacks like me will venture into the GD66 mod zone. Other than the obvious "do your safety homework" advise I think the only other thing I am qualified to remind my fellow hacks of is that the GD66 steel is useful as it is but if you go grinding on it and getting it really hot, it looses its temper (no pun intended) and becomes useless as a shaver because the steel wont hold and edge. It isn't as simple as grab the thing and grind away. When you consider that the incredible works of art you see done by the TRUE modification artists is done without over heating the steel (meaning they were patient and had a plan), you gain a real appreciation for the craft.

I haven't really started looking through the history of gd66 mod competitions past but I have seen some pictures of some mods done by "newer" shavers like me who were experimenting with some fairly radical designs. I don't know if every design is a winner but without the experimentation how will we ever know. ...and of course we get to shave with these things when we are done so how can we possibly loose right?

 

[stoop]

Turning a sander into a bench grinder like that is brilliant, Chris.

 

[Seraphim]

Very true-I would venture and say a safety face shield is better.

http://www.amazon.com/Face-Shield-w...ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1463065379&sr=1-9

Well, sure, if a guy is as dashingly handsome as YOU, of course a face shield...

But for the rest of us "rough and ready" types, goggles are sufficient.

Tyrion Lannister - Tyrion Lannister Photo (34524597) - Fanpop">

 

[Seraphim]

+1 on the eye protection or face shield.
I don't necessarily think gloves are always an ADDED safety feature when working with rapidly spinning things ...that's often one of those "its your call" kind of things. But really, I have never run across a good reason not to have eye protection on. I even wore eye protection working in the lab when the worst that might get in my eye was saline solution that had been sitting out all day.

Reiterating that I am a TOTAL HACK (unlike Seraphim who made my most favorite razor in the world ...thank you! & and Slash Mc Coy & a bunch of others), I suspect that other hacks like me will venture into the GD66 mod zone. Other than the obvious "do your safety homework" advise I think the only other thing I am qualified to remind my fellow hacks of is that the GD66 steel is useful as it is but if you go grinding on it and getting it really hot, it looses its temper (no pun intended) and becomes useless as a shaver because the steel wont hold and edge. It isn't as simple as grab the thing and grind away. When you consider that the incredible works of art you see done by the TRUE modification artists is done without over heating the steel (meaning they were patient and had a plan), you gain a real appreciation for the craft.

I haven't really started looking through the history of gd66 mod competitions past but I have seen some pictures of some mods done by "newer" shavers like me who were experimenting with some fairly radical designs. I don't know if every design is a winner but without the experimentation how will we ever know. ...and of course we get to shave with these things when we are done so how can we possibly loose right?

Excellent advice!

 

[Doc226]

Well, sure, if a guy is as dashingly handsome as YOU,

For once we agree.

 

[CBLindsay]

Well, sure, if a guy is as dashingly handsome as YOU, of course a face shield...

But for the rest of us "rough and ready" types, goggles are sufficient.

Tyrion Lannister - Tyrion Lannister Photo (34524597) - Fanpop">

Until today I had not seriously considered a face shield. If rugged good looks are the reason to wear one then OBVIOUSLY I must consider one. Don't NEED one...but should consider one to make myself feel better none the less.

Something about a face shield just seems so serious ...like I'm up to very important business.

 

[Ericaw]

I will take heed all of these warnings thanks all. I am actually contemplating building a forge and getting various other tools for old time smithing it is something I've been fascinated by for decades since my first shop classes in high school.

 

[Slash McCoy]

This kind of set up gets things done. The sander and Dremel with a variety of attachments (sanders wheels and cut thingies... You know)
And all the safety stuff too. Stuff happens even when you aren't working with sharp razors.
I tape off the blade but that's just to protect the edge, won't protect me from much.

A dragster sander is what I use for thinning and profiling. Dremel I mostly use for polishing, with diamond pastes and cloth wheels. LOTS of sandpaper, from 60 grit to 2k grit.

Beware, newbies. Be very ware. Power tools can destroy your precious GD in a microsecond of carelessness. You will want a coping saw for cutting out scales from acrylic or horn. A big heavy spoon, for peening pins. A quarter round file for shaping scales.

 

[tetraodon]

i wish i had the time, money and experiance for this. looks like great fun