To date I have made about a dozen razors, none as perfect as a professionally made blade, but all were functional. I'm going to share with you 3 of my worst razors, and explain why they're great examples of why you should make your own razor. If we're lucky Robert will share some of his early attempts... His razors are out of this world, but I've seen his first, and it's not pretty 
Firstly, I want to say these were all made with very inexpensive equipment. My anvil was a chunk of railroad track... my forge was a single firebrick I hollowed out, and I used map gas to heat it. I used the magnet test to check temperature in my heat treat, and I quenched in peanut oil.
The razor on top is the first one I ever made, it was a piece of bar stock high carbon steel, and I ground it out on a cheap bench grinder. It shaves like a dream
8/8 smiling blade in olive wood scales, it is a behemoth. as you can see the finish isn't impressive, the grinds are not perfect... but I couldn't be happier with it.
The second and third razors from the top were from a piece of Alabama damascus I bought. as you can see the bottom one has a deep etch, and I drilled the pin hole too high on the tang. it was a learning experience, it shaves well, but doesn't leave enough room for the grip, and I didn't grind it as hollow as I'd have liked.
The damascus seems to have work hardened so grinding was a challenge. The heat treatment was as easy as the carbon steel though, and I am happy with the overall result it was my second attempt at a razor.
The middle razor was a piece of scrap that was left over, I had to forge out the tang, and it shows in the etch. I almost turned this piece into a kitchen knife, but I have lots of those, so a razor it is. It has a wide bevel, again grinding was a challenge on a cheap bench grinder, but it shaves as good as most of my razors.
These are not pretty, they will never be show pieces, but I can use them with pride.
In learning how to make them, I gained a far better understanding of metallurgy. I got lucky with my first, but I also ruined a few blades trying to get a perfect hollow grind. I learned a lot about bevels, edge geometry, and the way the steel reacts to heat.
Other than the steel and a single firebrick, I did not spend anything on equipment to make these.
1095, 1080, or O1 steel is very inexpensive, and heat treating can be done in your backyard. If you own a grinder, you can make a straight razor.
There are few things more satisfying than using a fine instrument that you made for yourself, and if I can do it... so can you.
Firstly, I want to say these were all made with very inexpensive equipment. My anvil was a chunk of railroad track... my forge was a single firebrick I hollowed out, and I used map gas to heat it. I used the magnet test to check temperature in my heat treat, and I quenched in peanut oil.
The razor on top is the first one I ever made, it was a piece of bar stock high carbon steel, and I ground it out on a cheap bench grinder. It shaves like a dream
8/8 smiling blade in olive wood scales, it is a behemoth. as you can see the finish isn't impressive, the grinds are not perfect... but I couldn't be happier with it.
The second and third razors from the top were from a piece of Alabama damascus I bought. as you can see the bottom one has a deep etch, and I drilled the pin hole too high on the tang. it was a learning experience, it shaves well, but doesn't leave enough room for the grip, and I didn't grind it as hollow as I'd have liked.
The damascus seems to have work hardened so grinding was a challenge. The heat treatment was as easy as the carbon steel though, and I am happy with the overall result it was my second attempt at a razor.
The middle razor was a piece of scrap that was left over, I had to forge out the tang, and it shows in the etch. I almost turned this piece into a kitchen knife, but I have lots of those, so a razor it is. It has a wide bevel, again grinding was a challenge on a cheap bench grinder, but it shaves as good as most of my razors.
These are not pretty, they will never be show pieces, but I can use them with pride.
In learning how to make them, I gained a far better understanding of metallurgy. I got lucky with my first, but I also ruined a few blades trying to get a perfect hollow grind. I learned a lot about bevels, edge geometry, and the way the steel reacts to heat.
Other than the steel and a single firebrick, I did not spend anything on equipment to make these.
1095, 1080, or O1 steel is very inexpensive, and heat treating can be done in your backyard. If you own a grinder, you can make a straight razor.
There are few things more satisfying than using a fine instrument that you made for yourself, and if I can do it... so can you.
