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My "Gold Slash" 7 day set

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
First one all shiny.
$007_shiny.jpg

My reflection.
$008_reflecty.jpg

Well, that's enough sanding and polishing for one day. Progression was 80-120-150-220-320-400-600 and then 1u diamond paste on a felt wheel. I think I like just holding the dremel and letting it hum along a lot more than rubbing with all that sandpaper. Next time I start a project like this, I think I will anneal the razors first, and do all the coarse sanding and grinding while the steel is soft.

The blade is definitely a little thinner than when I started. That's a good thing. I think these blades are a little too edge-heavy out near the backbone. This one is just starting to sing a little bit.

For anyone else thinking about rehabilitating a GD, or any razor for that matter, don't forget to dull the edge before you start working on it. Don't ask me why I am just now mentioning that, please. Okay, 6 more to go, and 3 alternates. Tomorrow is another day. See yall in the funny papers.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
Taking a break today. I went out last night (Sugar Bowl night, good enough excuse for me. We always have one reason or another to party here in New Orleans.) and didn't drag myself back to the boat until well after daylight. Fingers are sore. Maybe I will do a pair of scales for this first one, and hone it up before finishing the other blades, just for a little not-so-instant gratification. But it's gonna wait a couple of days.

Seraphim, you got too much work in that razor to not let Paco try to put it back together. I don't know if it will mend properly, but if it does, it will have a unique story behind it.

Thanks for the comments, everybody. I can see now that I am not going to achieve anything close to perfection, but I will enjoy the finished set nonetheless. After this, I figure on trying to grind a few from scratch out of O-1, and eventually doing a 7-set that way. Meanwhile, your words of praise, deserved or not, add impetus to my efforts. Thanks to all.

I found another GD #66 hiding behind the back cushion of my settee and so I will add that one to the batch. And I thought I was through grinding for a while! I am working now with 11 razors. That gives me alternates for the set, so I can pick the most consistent ones and they will look more matched. I think I will definitely do a pass-around PIF with at least one of the extras, assuming enough make it through to finish in one piece.
 
Thata gonna take a lot more than grit, spit and duct tape...:)
i will put a little bevel on the broke pieces and TIG weld them together with wet rags wrapped around the blade to keep from ruining the temper.... when i am done there will be no evidence of a break..... i can't do really anything for one broken in the cutting edge... but i HONESTLY think with a bit of care on my part i could even weld up a spine that was excessively hone wore without screwing up the cutting edge... *(this would take me quite a bit of time and care... but i am 95% sure about fixing the hone wear.... i am 100% sure about fixing the broken tang)...
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
i will put a little bevel on the broke pieces and TIG weld them together with wet rags wrapped around the blade to keep from ruining the temper.... when i am done there will be no evidence of a break..... i can't do really anything for one broken in the cutting edge... but i HONESTLY think with a bit of care on my part i could even weld up a spine that was excessively hone wore without screwing up the cutting edge... *(this would take me quite a bit of time and care... but i am 95% sure about fixing the hone wear.... i am 100% sure about fixing the broken tang)...


It sounds do-able to me, as long as he is careful to maintain proper alignment. Me, I would tack it with a shim in place just because when welding alignment-critical pipe joints, that is how it is done. The main consideration is that wherever you weld, on cooling the steel wants to shrink there, and it will tend to pull it in that direction. Hence the shim. The two pieces could also be temporarily welded to a splint to hold them in proper orientation. I would tack it at the spine and at the throat first, then walk the initial bead around from both tacks in the same direction. Then grind and fillet with a couple of passes. Finally, the final bead is ground flush. Possibly there might be some cavitation next to the weld, so extra grinding may be needed to fair it out. I think it can be done. And Paco knows more about that sort of thing than I do, I think. Anyway, what do you got to lose? As it is, you have two picturesque pieces of what might have become a razor. Roll the dice, and very likely you will be back in the game and be able to continue your work on it, and end up with a razor to be proud of. And even if the temper is spoiled, it is a relatively simple matter to HT and re-temper it. I say go for it.
 
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It sounds do-able to me, Kentos, as long as he is careful to maintain proper alignment. Me, I would tack it with a shim in place just because when welding alignment-critical pipe joints, that is how it is done. The main consideration is that wherever you weld, on cooling the steel wants to shrink there, and it will tend to pull it in that direction. Hence the shim. I would tack it at the spine and at the throat first, then walk the initial bead around from both tacks in the same direction. Then grind and fillet with a couple of passes. Finally, the final bead is ground flush. Possibly there might be some cavitation next to the weld, so extra grinding may be needed to fair it out. I think it can be done. And Paco knows more about that sort of thing than I do, I think. Anyway, what do you got to lose? As it is, you have two picturesque pieces of what might have become a razor. Roll the dice, and very likely you will be back in the game and be able to continue your work on it, and end up with a razor to be proud of. And even if the temper is spoiled, it is a relatively simple matter to HT and re-temper it. I say go for it.
and i offer this to him for free *(i love to experiment...)
 
Slash, nice work. Seraphim inspired me awhile ago along the same lines but I was never sure how to go at it. I started with a grinding stone but it didn't go right. The stone wears a groove that won't cut straight. The sandpaper drums just lose their grit without the groove. I'm not done yet with the first one yet but I already know how to improve on the next. Fun project.

...Ray
 
i wish i had some skills like that at anything.
It's a helluva lot easier than I ever imagined it would be. Just go for it! If you need supplies to get you started I'd be happy to send some stuff your way.


Slash thank you for posting this. After shaving with a modified GD that Paco sent my way (thanks man!) I ordered a few off the bay to experiment and practice honing with. You already answered a few of my questions! I also love the barber notch idea, I'll try that out too.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets

It's a helluva lot easier than I ever imagined it would be. Just go for it! If you need supplies to get you started I'd be happy to send some stuff your way.


Slash thank you for posting this. After shaving with a modified GD that Paco sent my way (thanks man!) I ordered a few off the bay to experiment and practice honing with. You already answered a few of my questions! I also love the barber notch idea, I'll try that out too.

I had one blade develop a crack doing the notch. I have also drawn the temper in the immediate vicinity of the notch. Make your mistakes on blades you have already messed up somehow. IOW, practice on junk before rolling with the good stuff.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
i wish i had some skills like that at anything.

Gotta practice them to get them. Just go for it! The nice thing about the Gold Dollars is they are cheap enough that you can laugh it off when you destroy one while you are trying stuff.
 
Gotta practice them to get them. Just go for it! The nice thing about the Gold Dollars is they are cheap enough that you can laugh it off when you destroy one while you are trying stuff.

You are tempting me... which are the basic tools for this kind of job?? where can I learn more???
 
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