I just pulled the trigger in a BIG way

**SavantStrike** · 04-19-2009, 06:09 AM

I hate you guys.

Looking at all those restorations you guys do has made me want to do a couple myself, enough so that I tapped some hidden reserves:

A gift card from Xmas to buy a 1200 Grit DMT
Money that came this week from mail in rebates (from a computer built 4 months ago!) for a Norton 4k/8k
A little bit of my own cash for a Chinese 12k

Lucky me I've got a friend who agreed to lap these babies.

At least I'm not in the hole. It also looks like I'll be selling my 1 micron diamond paste...

Edit: I'm coming entirely clean. In the interest of hiding my HAD, I neglected to mention that my "friend" is just my alter ego with a D8X (not XX). No gift certificates or extra cash there, I tapped my "dating money" fund. It's good I'm single though since there's nobody to miss it

.

**Kees** · 04-19-2009, 08:28 AM

Now you need to buy a straight?

**thirdeye** · 04-19-2009, 08:30 AM

...Very, very nice...I guess you did go off in a BIG way...Hope you have insurance on that shipment.

**SavantStrike** · 04-19-2009, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by thirdeye

...Very, very nice...I guess you did go off in a BIG way...Hope you have insurance on that shipment.

Well, I never thought I would have been able to pull this off, but those rebates weren't supposed to come back (seriously they never do). I didn't buy expensive parts for my computer, but they came with some pretty deep dish discounts. I'm still feeling mighty blessed I was able to afford this stuff as a (normally) broke college student. That Amazon certificate was just sitting there waiting for something like this too. I was going to use it to buy some music CD's, but I think this was better.

As for the straight to restore, I've got that part covered in another couple of hours if things go well (cmon baby win me an auction!). My shave ready Wapi is NOT going on the hones until I'm confident in my ability to put an edge on a blade just because I'm still learning how to use a straight and don't want any unfortunate accidents... If I hone then shave and hone then shave with another one while I'm getting the hang of it, it's different than doing it on my only usable blade.

**leighton** · 04-19-2009, 03:24 PM

If you need a partially pitted blade, I've got a few lying around I'm willing to donate for the cost of shipping.

Hope you win the auction!

**SavantStrike** · 04-19-2009, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by leighton

If you need a partially pitted blade, I've got a few lying around I'm willing to donate for the cost of shipping.

Hope you win the auction!

Really? That could be great! Are they fairly honeable or do they need a ton of work? I'm actually looking for a couple of different challenge blades, ultimately I'd love to try my hand at a smiling blade and a chipped blade, but preferably not a blade that is both at the same time... yet. If they've got a bit of pitting I don't really care as I'd just ignore it during the honing process to see if I can get the technique down. I would prefer to get those blades from folks here rather than on Ebay as I don't want to pay 10 bucks for something that I know isn't worth it. I'd be more than happy to pay shipping for them. People here really are exceedingly generous!

Oh and the auction is for a blade that (hopefully) will be a bit less difficult for a first time project, though it comes with a blade that will try my patience as well. I figure it would be good to try with something a bit more attainable at the same time I do practice with the worst of the worst.

How often do people actually want damaged blades? I must have something wrong with me

.

**leighton** · 04-19-2009, 03:49 PM

You'd be surprised. People will take all sorts of free stuff. Look at ebay for example.

You mean blades with frowns in them right? Nothing wrong with smily blades.

**SavantStrike** · 04-19-2009, 04:02 PM

Originally Posted by leighton

You'd be surprised. People will take all sorts of free stuff. Look at ebay for example.

You mean blades with frowns in them right? Nothing wrong with smily blades.

Nothing wrong with them but I've heard they are harder to hone. Not really sure I'd want to do a frowning blade... it might be worse than a chipped blade.

EDIT: I won baby! I posted a thread in acquisitions. You people were asleep on the bay! Well not really but I really wanted this lot for some reason..

**jadam318** · 04-22-2009, 09:21 PM

Savant, back to the original subject of this thread. These guys did the same thing to me a couple of weeks ago. I ended up with a Norton 1k/4k, a Spyderco 8k, and a Chinese 12k. I had picked up a couple of restore-worthy blades on ebay and then picked up a couple more from Leighton (who also conned me into that Spyderco

...seriously though, Leighton has been a great source of advice for me).

Anyway, as I work as a volunteer fresh out of college, I feel your financial woes. I'm having a blast with this razor restoration stuff, though! Get some pics up once you get going. I'm gonna keep an eye open for your posts. We'll probably have some similar questions.

**jadam318** · 04-22-2009, 09:23 PM

By the way, Savant, I'm still blown away with the speed of which your post count has increased!

"Spring break"...yeah, right!

**tg16** · 04-24-2009, 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by SavantStrike

I hate you guys.

Looking at all those restorations you guys do has made me want to do a couple myself, enough so that I tapped some hidden reserves:

A gift card from Xmas to buy a 1200 Grit DMT
Money that came this week from mail in rebates (from a computer built 4 months ago!) for a Norton 4k/8k
A little bit of my own cash for a Chinese 12k

Lucky me I've got a friend who agreed to lap these babies.

At least I'm not in the hole. It also looks like I'll be selling my 1 micron diamond paste...

Edit: I'm coming entirely clean. In the interest of hiding my HAD, I neglected to mention that my "friend" is just my alter ego with a D8X (not XX). No gift certificates or extra cash there, I tapped my "dating money" fund. It's good I'm single though since there's nobody to miss it

.

I've done the same thing and tapped the "dating" fund. Don't feel bad. I've even told a woman or two that I was busy that night when I had a new razor to hone or a new hone to lap and try. Maybe we just need to find some rich women to support our SRAD and HAD.

**SavantStrike** · 04-24-2009, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by jadam318

Savant, back to the original subject of this thread. These guys did the same thing to me a couple of weeks ago. I ended up with a Norton 1k/4k, a Spyderco 8k, and a Chinese 12k. I had picked up a couple of restore-worthy blades on ebay and then picked up a couple more from Leighton (who also conned me into that Spyderco ...seriously though, Leighton has been a great source of advice for me).

Anyway, as I work as a volunteer fresh out of college, I feel your financial woes. I'm having a blast with this razor restoration stuff, though! Get some pics up once you get going. I'm gonna keep an eye open for your posts. We'll probably have some similar questions.

I've had help from lots of people here. This place is a WEALTH of knowledge. Definitely keep me informed on your project blades. I plan on posting some stuff too soon. I've got a couple now too. It's going to take me a while to get through them for sure, but getting there is 3/4 of the fun.

What blades have you picked to restore? I'd love pics. I tried to take some pics of my project blades this morning but my camera is terrible. It won't focus at all and the blade I wanted to take a pic of had way too much rust on it.

As for the finances, it's rough, but at the same time I look at it as just having made different choices than my friends have. Rather than spend 20 bucks for a movie ticket and a small popcorn, I got a few stray blades. The hones were a bit more than the cost of a movie, but I still maintain my friends have blown larger sums of money

.

I'm envious of the Spyderco. I wanted one but got a Norton since I could lap it easier. I heard horror stories.

Originally Posted by jadam318

By the way, Savant, I'm still blown away with the speed of which your post count has increased!

"Spring break"...yeah, right!

And fast typist... and blabbermouth

I'm slowing down... sortof...

Originally Posted by tg16

I've done the same thing and tapped the "dating" fund. Don't feel bad. I've even told a woman or two that I was busy that night when I had a new razor to hone or a new hone to lap and try. Maybe we just need to find some rich women to support our SRAD and HAD.

I haven't gone that far yet, but I am desperately looking forward to some serious honing next week, and plan on building some scales before summer classes start up. We're sick individuals on this forum. Sick sick individuals.

Oh and my hones are here! All of them! They came in over the past few days. I feel really lucky too as my Chinese 12k came flat. Hopefully I don't have too much ahead of me trying to get it lapped.

**jadam318** · 04-24-2009, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by SavantStrike

I've had help from lots of people here. This place is a WEALTH of knowledge. Definitely keep me informed on your project blades. I plan on posting some stuff too soon. I've got a couple now too. It's going to take me a while to get through them for sure, but getting there is 3/4 of the fun.

What blades have you picked to restore? I'd love pics. I tried to take some pics of my project blades this morning but my camera is terrible. It won't focus at all and the blade I wanted to take a pic of had way too much rust on it.

Here is a thread I posted a while back of the first of my restoration projects to get under way. That one is a Joseph Allen & Sons 5/8, roughly. I got another one just like it from Leighton that has "Extra Hollow Ground" etched on the blade. I called mine a wedge, and this one is cut almost exactly the same

. Maybe I don't really understand the whole grind concept yet, but I'll figure that out later. I just want to shave with these things.

That first Joseph Allen & Sons and my other ebay find, a larger, heavily ground Frederick Reynolds (I think, the blade has no markings, but the ebay seller labeled it as such), have both been un-scaled and sanded. I plan to make my own scales (we'll see how that goes

). I'll get another thread going or add some pics to that one once my internet at home gets going again. I don't want to spend too much time on here at work.

The other blade I got off of Leighton is a 5/8 hollow. I can't remember the make right off hand. It needs a little work and will probably end up with new scales as well. That one may end up a PIF to my little brother. He has expressed some interest in trying his hand at straight shaving.

I also bought a couple of DA's from the 'bay to mess around with. I'd like to try my luck with some Seraphim-esque mods and custom scales on those.

This stuff piled up quick, though. I still have some tools to buy, so my progress is snail speed right now. Razor restoration is a great hobby for me since I'm living away from home and can't really afford to stockpile large volumes of stuff (like my other hobbies i.e. mtn biking, off-roading, etc..).