My last project of 2023 ( buffalo horn scales for an old IXL straight razor blade )

[SlimGem]

I just wanted to share my last little project of the year. I restored an old IXL straight razor blade some time ago, and finally got around to making scales for it. I decided to document by taking pictures of the process. While it is sometimes more rewarding to make scales by hand, and sometimes I still do, it is also rewarding to design and use a CNC for precision and repeatability. And now that I have a 3d model, I can easily scale to any size for different straight razor blades.

Black buffalo horn blank, peening hardware, and restored IXL straight razor blade.

The buffalo horn blank is warped and requires flattening. I use a simple router sled for this step.

The buffalo horn blank is now flat and is set to the correct thickness for the next step on the mini-CNC.

I've created a 3d model of the original broken scales for use on the mini-CNC.

After multiple passes, the scales are ready for sanding and buffing.

Almost ready for peening. First, I need to melt some lead for the wedge. A lead fishing weight does the trick.

The lead wedge is glued and drilled to one scale, and the peening begins.

After some honing, this will be tomorrow's last shave of 2023.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I have seen videos of scales being cut by a laser cutter. I had no idea one could use a CNC device to shape horn scales. That is very cool.

I am guessing that the equipment to do this is not cheap. Can you share what equipment you used?

 

[SlimGem]

I use a 3018 CNC readily available on Amazon for around $300. The end mill ( router bit ) is an 1/8" ball-nose end mill. For design software, I use DS Mechanical and the free version of Fusion 360 which I also use for programming the CNC. Considering what can be done with this mini-CNC, especially for the wet-shaving hobby, I don't think it's expensive at all.

I also make most of my 3d designs available as free downloads and will be adding more 3d models of straight razor scales soon.

This is my latest scale design ( black acrylic ).

 

[Frank Shaves]

I use a 3018 CNC readily available on Amazon for around $300. The end mill ( router bit ) is an 1/8" ball-nose end mill. For design software, I use DS Mechanical and the free version of Fusion 360 which I also use for programming the CNC. Considering what can be done with this mini-CNC, especially for the wet-shaving hobby, I don't think it's expensive at all.

I also make most of my 3d designs available as free downloads and will be adding more 3d models of straight razor scales soon.

This is my latest scale design ( black acrylic ).

Thank you for sharing. Amazing that the gear to do this is available for this price.

 

[duke762]

Dang...looks like I'm getting a CNC machine!!!! It's long over due. Nice, nice work!