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Making a custom razor

So I'm looking into making a custom razor and I have all the tools, steel, and skills I would need to shape and polish it. Custom inlayed handle no problem. And it is very simple to get it sent off for a professional heat treatment per my instructions. But i would only be able to make a wedge razor with my tools. So my biggest question: is there somewhere I can send it to be ground full hollow?
 
First I will say, you're asking for someone to do the hardest part of razor making process.. the part that sets the "good" makers from the others.

I don't know of any "hollow grinding" services and not sure you would find one.
That being said, you may find one of the hobby builders that may help.
Hope it helps
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
Like they said. Nobody is going to do your hard work for you, even for money. Unless it is a crazy generous offer, well into the 4 figures I would imagine. You might consider having a razor CNC milled to spec. Remember, you can't go too thin on a blade prior to heat treating. You will still have to do a final grinding.

You can do a pretty fair hollowgrind on the nose roller of a dragster type belt sander. Nothing is stopping you. It sounds like you don't know a lot about razormaking, but don't let that stop you, either. If your first 9 out of 10 are total failures, you will enjoy the one success all the more.

I suggest starting out by modding Gold Dollar #66 razors. Buy 100 or so, and mod them in batches of 10. Batches allow you to work on one for a few seconds, then the next and the next etc until you get back to the first, which has had time to cool without dunking in water. These razors of course are already heat treated and tempered, and you don't want to pull the temper. Using only the belt sander and a heavy pane of glass with sandpaper glued to it, you can remove the heel and ugly jimps and crudely stamped trademark, create a custom nose profile and thumb notch, fair away the shoulder, thin the spine and the shank, push the hollowgrind further up into the spine, and other improvements. You get to start with something that is already roughly shaped like a razor. By the time you have finished your 10 batches of 10 each, you will definitely be ready to order some O-1 bar stock and go bananas.

I will end this post with the following absolute rule that you absolutely must follow at all times. Any time you use power tools on steel, wear all appropriate PPE. Personal Protection Equipment. Especially eye protection. I won't bother telling you about how to avoid belt sander or Dremel catching and flinging or shattering your Gold Dollars. You will figure that out by the time you have destroyed a dozen or so. During all that destructive mayhem, your eyes are in grave danger with no or with inadequate protection. A sharp shard of steel flying at the velocity of a pistol bullet is no joke when it gets you in the eyeball.

Oh, and read some more. Do your homework.
 
Actually if you want to make a custom razor but don't want to temper and grind the blade, then modding a Gold Dollar may fill the bill.
There's a lot of work to be done to take a GD from RSO (razor shaped object) to work of art. Check out some of the GD mod threads here on the board to see what some of the skilled craftsman here have done with them. =)
 
Thank you for your replys, yes PPEs are always the first step. No I havnt done any work on razors except for modding a few gold dollars. I do however have quite a bit of experience with steel. I am an artist and quite confident in my skills in making metal do my bidding. I am familiar with heat treating tempering and normalizing. my research has found that few custom razor makers do full hollow grinds and even less do them well. That being the case i am a problem solver by nature and have figured out a perfectly simple solution for a 3"⌀ double sided concave grinder. The wheels run in reverse directions and it seems to work great.
 
Thank you for your replys, yes PPEs are always the first step. No I havnt done any work on razors except for modding a few gold dollars. I do however have quite a bit of experience with steel. I am an artist and quite confident in my skills in making metal do my bidding. I am familiar with heat treating tempering and normalizing. my research has found that few custom razor makers do full hollow grinds and even less do them well. That being the case i am a problem solver by nature and have figured out a perfectly simple solution for a 3"⌀ double sided concave grinder. The wheels run in reverse directions and it seems to work great.

If you have it figured out why are you looking for someone to do the grinding?
Or did you come up with a solution since your first post?
On a side note, a quick google search should give you some info on double wheel grinders that are already in use.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
The main reason so few one-off razor makers do full hollows is it is simply a lot harder to do. For your first from-scratch razor, unless you have a lot of steel on hand, I suggest going with a quarter hollow. A full wedge is even easier to make, but of course trickier to hone. YMMV. Me, I love full hollows and have no patience for wedges, so I feel ya, but I really think a wedge is more likely to come out good, on your first attempt. Or at least a near wedge or quarter hollow.
 
If you have it figured out why are you looking for someone to do the grinding?
Or did you come up with a solution since your first post?
On a side note, a quick google search should give you some info on double wheel grinders that are already in use.

I came up with a solution since my first post, seeing that there was not much chance of getting someone to do it I pushed together two grinders and mounted them in place. It works just gotta be real careful and get some practice before doing an actual razor
 
Pics, or it didn't happen :biggrin1: nah, I trust ya, but would be cool to see your fab. I've been thinking about doing some small wheel grinder fabs myself.
I came up with a solution since my first post, seeing that there was not much chance of getting someone to do it I pushed together two grinders and mounted them in place. It works just gotta be real careful and get some practice before doing an actual razor
 
Pics, or it didn't happen :biggrin1: nah, I trust ya, but would be cool to see your fab. I've been thinking about doing some small wheel grinder fabs myself.

Do a search for Lewis Razor. Charlie has a number of youtube videos. I know he has atleast 1 with a double wheel grinder he set up.
 
Can't leave the shop like that, but Picture two identical belt sanders pushed together and a couple clamps and flat bar holding them together. Its not ideal or spectacular but simple enough.
 
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