Three Corny Videos Involving Restoration

**BillEllis** · 02-03-2007, 03:10 AM

For those of you who haven't witnessed my academy-award-winning performance with a couple little tips on grinding, here it is:

Take note that the actor cannot talk and grind at the same time...

http://www.billysblades.com/workingscales.htm

**Scorpio** · 02-03-2007, 07:42 AM

Well I'll be....the heck with honing I want one of those!!!! I did a lot of work with golf clubs so I think I could do that blade work with those belt sanders. That was great Bill thank you!!

Btw Bill is a master at his craft and has been working at this for many years. His work is of the highest quality.

Raf

**berzerkeleyan** · 02-03-2007, 08:42 AM

Absolutely fascinating, Bill. Thanks for sharing those. Your work is beautiful. I've been visiting your site this week, hungrily eyeing your restorations.

**mpisarcik** · 02-03-2007, 09:39 AM

you're a very skilled craftsman! remind me to ask you for a nice straight someday.

**BillEllis** · 02-03-2007, 10:49 AM

Btw Bill is a master at his craft and has been working at this for many years. His work is of the highest quality.

Thanks for the compliment.

I've gotten embarrassed over that word master since I was a kid.

It started with my dad when we would go fishing. My official job was to bait the hooks. Dad started calling me the master... the master baiter. I could never live it down and have since just said I was pretty good at some things rather than assign a higher value.

Seems like I just put most of those razors up within the past week or so. I guess I'd better get busy and give more choices. By the way, if I can't get them sharp, they don't go on the site unless they are collectibles. In those cases, I say so on the page the razor is on.

**berzerkeleyan** · 02-03-2007, 10:51 AM

Stop.
Tempting.
Us!

**coully** · 02-03-2007, 07:58 PM

'It started with my dad when we would go fishing. My official job was to bait the hooks. Dad started calling me the master... the master baiter. I could never live it down and have since just said I was pretty good at some things rather than assign a higher value.' (Bills Quote')

Fathers have a unique way of 'taking the Michael' mine still does...lol but Bill I envy the skill and the ease that you do these things but I understand it doesnt just happen, its great to be able to watch you work.

regards,simon

**Skyguy** · 02-03-2007, 08:28 PM

Hey, Bill when I clicked on your URL, three squares came up on a page but I couldn't see anything. Tried to right-click to get something but nothing would bring up the pictures. Any other way to see what you've posted?

**BillEllis** · 02-03-2007, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by Skyguy

Hey, Bill when I clicked on your URL, three squares came up on a page but I couldn't see anything. Tried to right-click to get something but nothing would bring up the pictures. Any other way to see what you've posted?

I don't know what I did when I tried to code the darn thing. I'm not as good at computer stuff as I am with razors, that's for sure.

I did notice that I have to hover over any one of the squares, click once to activate the box, and a second click on the "play" arrow makes it work. If anyone knows how to make it less work to view, I'd appreciate it.

**berzerkeleyan** · 02-03-2007, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by Skyguy

Hey, Bill when I clicked on your URL, three squares came up on a page but I couldn't see anything. Tried to right-click to get something but nothing would bring up the pictures. Any other way to see what you've posted?

Did you wait a bit for the movies to load? I use Firefox, and when I migrated to the page, it loaded all three videos simultaneously and then started playing them all at once. It took about a minute, but I was able to pause two and watch each one individually.

**rtaylor61** · 02-03-2007, 11:04 PM

Bill,

Nice to see you around!

Randy

**xChris** · 02-04-2007, 01:17 AM

Originally Posted by Skyguy

Hey, Bill when I clicked on your URL, three squares came up on a page but I couldn't see anything. Tried to right-click to get something but nothing would bring up the pictures. Any other way to see what you've posted?

SG,

If you're using IE, look up near the top of the window to see if a yellow-colored bar is up there. It may be preventing an activeX control for Windows Media Player (the video controls) from loading.

**Steelforge** · 02-04-2007, 03:40 AM

Nice vids Bill.

**SSLStudio** · 02-04-2007, 05:58 AM

Awesome Skills...

great fun watching you do the profiling the blade.

I would call you an Artist. I hope you would feel comfortable with that title ?

its just amazing there are still people/factories out there that have the real oldschool skills. its a dying trade in the this time and age of throw away products and everything must be faster.smoother,more slick looking,cheaper production costs its nice to see Craftmanship is still around I just hope you have somehow a way to pass on your skills to the next generation ?

Lynn kinda does it by having made a nice DVD that way atleast honing straights wont die and when people can hone their blade they will not give up.

Just hope there is a way for you to pass it on to an apprentice or some sort? your son , some relatives or someone who shows real passion for the work because thats what it takes.

**BillEllis** · 02-04-2007, 01:05 PM

Just hope there is a way for you to pass it on to an apprentice or some sort? your son , some relatives or someone who shows real passion for the work because thats what it takes.

Nope... I had all girls. None are interested. I did the next best thing with the book on CD that I wrote on restoration, though. There's an hour of video on it, including my own version of honing. There is more than one way to skin a cat... or so I'm told.

It shouldn't be too hard to find the web page for the CD for those who are interested. I'm thinkin' I probably shouldn't spam this thread with the link.

PS... I have Lynn's CD also and it has a lot of great information. To me, it is a "must have" for those who are starting out.

**garythepenman** · 02-05-2007, 01:02 PM

Bill is modest to a fault..a real gentleman for sure and he ain't too bad at knocking up the odd scale or two either.

Gary

**BillEllis** · 11-18-2007, 10:49 AM

I bumped this one because it ties into the 8/8 razor with purple heart scales that I just finished on this thread. The work on the actual razor was done on two of these dopey videos. For some reason, when I view them anyway, I have to click the movie screen to activate it and then the play button to get it to run. You may have to do the same.

**FloppyShoes** · 11-19-2007, 05:55 AM

Do you find the heat builds up enough to worry about when you're fixing old blades?

**BillEllis** · 11-19-2007, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by FloppyShoes

Do you find the heat builds up enough to worry about when you're fixing old blades?

When in the learning process, yes. I haven't "burned" a blade in years. New belts hardly ever scorch blades, and slower speeds also reduce the heat. Most of the time I use my bare hands when I work on the blades after they have been heat treated. You have to exceed 500 degrees to cause steel to lose its temper. Bare hands can't come close to that before they need to be dipped in water, either.

**Amyn** · 11-20-2007, 07:13 AM

I would nominate those videos for the

Oscars - Category : Best Live Action Short Subject.

"A passionate and inspirational look at one man's fervent crusade to stop modern shaving practices in its tracks by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. That man is Bill Ellis, who re-set the course of his life to focus on a last-ditch, all-out effort to help save the planet from irrevocable change.

In this eye-opening and poignant portrait Bill Ellis proves himself to be one of the most misunderstood characters in modern American public life. Here he is seen as never before in the media - funny, engaging, open and downright on fire about getting the surprisingly stirring truth about what he calls our "shaving emergency" out to ordinary citizens before it's too late."