Thread: A Visit to Robert Williams Shop

Wow... talk about poetry in motion... I had the honor of spending a day with Robert in his shop. And of course we made me a razor in the process. He has a great work shop that has every machine that you would ever want or need for making razors. And of course I felt more than a little envious and like a newbie in comparison to my workshop.

The progression from a 1 X 6 blank piece of steel to an amazing custom razor is fascinating to see. After marking the steel with center lines, the rough grind and trail of sparks started. Next came the filing of the jimps ( I finally learned how to get them spaced correctly) and then the spine work which was fascinating to watch. He truly is an artist with this IMHO. Then the firing and quenching of the blade.

The most interesting part of this whole experience was watching his focus as he glided from machine to machine slowly forming the finished product. You could tell that he'd done this a hundred times but stopped and inspected every few minutes to make sure he liked his progression. After the metal was cooled and hardened, he finished the final grind and tempering. The time went very quickly, about 6 hours from start to finish... and the razor is amazing.

This was just an overview of the whole process but just watching Robert work was the exciting part. He actually made it look easy... and i want to thank
him for showing me things it would have taken me a long time if not years to learn. And of course for the great razor. I did not take a lot of pictures as I was too interested in what was going on and asking (stupid) questions. So I took pictures when it was convenient for me to do so. You can see his work areas and equipment and I snuck a few of Robert grinding away as well. It really was intense watching him in action and it was a real treat. Thanks again Robert!

Thanks for this post - great photos of an artist in his workshop.

that spine work is just incredible. wow. what a cool experience!

Nice right up and great razors!! But, the most impressive thing in the post was "start to finish in 5 hrs"
Enjoy the new art!

What an awesome experience to be able to watch Robert in his shop.
I am truely envious!!
The blade of course looks fantastic too...

I am envious of the experience, thank you for the pictures. The razor beautiful.

Charlie

5 Hours only!?! That is amazing.

What a great experience. Must of felt like a little kid going to see the magic of Disneyland. Better memories created, and much nicer to go home with the new razor instead of mouse ears.

Looks like a comfortable shop, that seems like he's laid out well for himself.

Thanks for the neat write up and pics. Packed with so much great info, can't provide the due praise for that gorgeous razor.

Thanks very much for the virtual trip to Robert's inner sanctum. That is a gorgeous razor. I too am lucky enough to have a couple of his functional artworks. Some of the best shavers I've ever experienced and probably my favorite custom maker.

Thanks for the pictures.