Thread: Making 1700s style razors today

Now this is an idle question at best, but I was wondering if the blade smiths here ever had requests/intention of making those short-tanged, wide-shanked narrow blades in straight scales so typical of pre-1800 razors?

Since these razors are so rare, I just thought it would be cool to actually have an opportunity to try one without hunting the antiques shop forever. Would they be expensive to produce? Hard to hone?

If you wanted one get with Robert Williams here . He can make any style you want and it wouldn't be difficult for him at all. For the really old ones the blade edge runs right into the tang. When you're shaving , or otherwise handling one of them, you have to keep that in mind. If you don't you may run your thumbpad past the tang into the edge and you can imagine what happens then. I have one of the old ones like that and I have honed it and do strop and shave with it from time to time. Same as a razor from any period , IMO, save for the above mentioned caveat ...... and the super cool factor.

But nobody has made them so far? I'd be curious to see a new old style razor!

Tonsorialmatic
Something like this?
And he also did this one...
http://www.straightrazordesigns.com/...lo-bone-scales

I had commissioned one from Brian Brown to match one I have, but after trying some mock-ups I cut from cardboard I found my design slowly progressing closer to a more modern blade. The final result is my most ergonomic blade, but less like the original design.

I don't know if its just me, but I find that as the designs changed the ergonomics got better.

Originally Posted by Catrentshaving

Tonsorialmatic
Something like this?
And he also did this one...
Charlie Lewis 6/8+ Rustic Styled Razor in Buffalo Bone Scales - $0.00 :

That Rustic is the closest I've seen, but it's still very wide compared to the early razors I've seen--the latter must have been something like 3/8 or 4/8 max?

I made a design that I will be working on (hopefully soon) that I hope somewhat accurately replicates a mid 1820s blade. They are the top right three. All will be 7/8ish A2.



Also, my first blade in the forge is nearing completion and is a stubby tail. It's about an 8/8 and out of O1.

Sometime back there was a post by someone who did re-inacting about making, or researching 17th Century razors. It might have been on the "other forum". He said most of the really old ones were made for someone else to do the shaving - barber, etc.. Wish I could find it - ring a bell for anyone?

i dig the round and the frenchy at the bottom

Originally Posted by medicevans

I made a design that I will be working on (hopefully soon) that I hope somewhat accurately replicates a mid 1820s blade. They are the top right three. All will be 7/8ish A2.



Also, my first blade in the forge is nearing completion and is a stubby tail. It's about an 8/8 and out of O1.

I have an idea for the round point involving a set of Tim/Tumtatty's steampunk scales, and the French is an original design by Cody Carlson/tattooface that I had cut out for him in exchange for putting up with my crazy modifications during CAD design.