Thread: basic razor info needed

I'm new to razor making and have a few questions. first when hollow grinding how thin to go before final sharpening. next when the blade is folded closed what stops the blade so it doesn't stick out on the back of the scales. Finely is there a place on this forum that has this kind of info or can you recommend a book or video. Thanks! Fullerton

Hi,
You might find info in the workshop section. When the guys that make them as a hobby show off theirs, they're usually very happy to answer questions.
Other than that, you'll just have to look at the geometry of blades you already have & after that it's trial & error.

I grind down to about a 1/16, then harden, I then do the final grinding. I grind nearly to a point then set the bevel then grind a bit more to even up the bevel.

The blade is thicker than the opening in the scales it will not fit through.

Charlie

Bill Ellis had a video(damned good) for sale at one time, it covered grinding, restorations and all sorts of good stuff. Not the answer you were looking for but it will lead in right direction.

Thanks for the help i will take a look. Scott

Originally Posted by fullerton

I'm new to razor making and have a few questions. first when hollow grinding how thin to go before final sharpening. next when the blade is folded closed what stops the blade so it doesn't stick out on the back of the scales. Finely is there a place on this forum that has this kind of info or can you recommend a book or video. Thanks! Fullerton

Depends how careful you are with your heat treatments and how much grinding you want to do on hard steel. I usually go to about .020", which is pretty thin. 1/16" is .0625", as a comparison.

Sometimes the edge will crinkle up a bit when it's this thin, especially if there's some unevenness to the grind. Usually, though, if you do your normalizing cycles right then the blade comes through just fine.

The steel is exponentially more difficult to grind away when it's hardened, obviously, so the thinner you can go before the quench the easier your job will be.

Good luck,
Josh