As a bladesmith/blacksmith I have to say you did an amazing job on this build. I saw another smith mention that the hollow grind helped with the quench(hardening) of the steel, and he is right but just remember that the quench is the most mystical part because no matter what you do before hand the metal can always warp. So Hephaestus was smiling on you man. Great work and keep it up.
I don't know what I like more, the fact that you went, "Yeah I don't need to buy that, I've got everything I need!" and you made a razor, or that you unintentionally made a sword-like blank completely unintentionally. It even has enough extra material for a pommel on the end! When one project becomes two! Some may say happy accident, but we all know you planned it all perfectly XD
I've had pretty good success with lawn mower blades... pretty decent stuff. Great for machetes, because of the softness and shock resistance. For a straight razor it'll be a little subpar as straight razors are harder than usual knives because all they need to do is hold an edge, they don't need any shock resistance or be flexible at all. So you'll need to sharpen it more often. Definetely workable tho.
As a knife maker and builder/restorer of straight razors, I’ll be nice. :) Hollow ground razor on first try?!? Good job mane. Oh. Also. It wasn’t just luck that you kept a straight blade in the quench. That unilateral hollow grind adds a lot of stability to the blade.
Thank you for being nice 😅. Though I really wouldn't mind some tips and some pointing out of what I did wrong or could do better. I make no claims to be any good at these skills, you all just get to watch me try my best to figure it out🤣
Not having a table saw definitely adds more to your videos and makes projects practical for everyone else who may not have one either. You will have to get one eventually to keep leveling up.
Thanks! It's honestly part of why I have delayed getting more tools. I always hate when I look for tutorials and all I can find is the super professional with a full workshop setup of things I don't have access to. 😅
OK GREAT build! I really enjoyed it. two things for your next shopping trip to the big box hardware store. One in the paint department you can get a package of tongue depressor type things for stirring small amounts of paint. They are actually made of a hard wood because pine is too soft at that thickness. a pack of like 25 is .99 cents and happen to be perfect for this and other small projects, I use them for scales on throwing knives I make out of 8 inch gutter spikes. Also you can get a pack of rivets, the long shanks can be made into rivets the same as the nails you used but are made of aluminum so are softer to work and plenty strong for this application. (a rivet gun would be a great tool if you don't have one btw). Finally instead of glass (fragile as F) use the free samples of counter top material available at the big orange box hardware store near you. Hard, Flat and smooth- will last a life time and can be covered with different grits on all four sides. Great vids man, I really dig your channel. Go turn off the mic now. :-)
Oh dude! That was amazing. I never thought a straight razor could be made from home. Blew me away on that one. Also, a really great video on the whole, loved your little bit on One Shave to Rule Them All. P.s. I also have partly shaved arms most of the time, where else should I test my carpentry blades?
A tip for sharpening. this works for most if not all knives. to get them really sharp I use a old piece of floor tile the non laminated side is comparable to a Arkansas stone. may be even finer.
i love it definitely gotta give it a go maybe boujee it up with epoxy resin but i love how at 14:01 it closes on your middle finger and you kept going and then the bandaid in the next clip lol
I ended up here from the "War Horn" video. Both were quite entertaining and educational. Love that you let your "weirdness" show. "It's her own damn fault. She said yes." You and I would definitely be friends. Subscribed.
I think the one tool you would find really useful would be a band saw. I don't think you need a table saw or planer/thicknesser yet. But a electric hand planer might be handy.
What a great video! I’ve ordered my first set of metal-working tools and they should be coming today! Your videos have helped me with a lot of craft-projects in the past. It would be awesome to see you make a wooden bowl and a spoon to go with your stein. - Then you’d have a brilliant LARP mess kit! 😆 Thanks for the great videos
Very nice work as usual. Your handle solution was elegant and functional. I use a Ken Onion Edition Work Sharp for all my sharpening needs, and it serves me well. (I may or may not also wander the Earth with a half-shaven left arm..) I do have to say, I flinched just a bit every time you waved the razor around with your other hand nearby. Keep up the good work!
Neat. I've always wanted to use a straight razor, but have never had a practical reason to get one. I spent like $20 on razor blades years ago, and probably still have enough to last another decade or two. At some point, I need to figure out something to do with all the spent blades. They can be recycled, but considering they take up virtually no space I'm sure I'll find a use one day. Speaking of projects, you can buy bristle knots by themselves, so making your own brush seems like a perfect follow up project for this. Bonus fact. The story of Sweeney Todd dates back to the 'penny dreadful' days. I suppose that might be common knowledge, because there have been a lot of book, play, and film publications, but personally I hadn't heard the story until the 2007 movie.
Love the channel as always! Really looking forward to seeing you build a catapult. ( I recommended like a month ago, I know it’s a bigger project so it might take a while, but I will wait as long as I need to.) :)
btw, blades as short as that usually don't warp much if any, its more longer blades that have trouble (at least in my experience). To help minimize warping you want to get rid of the stresses that build up in the steel (especially if you forged out the blade, all that hammering builds up stresses). So you want to normalize the blade, which is to heat it up to non magnetic and then let cool back down slowly, the slower the better. You do a few cycles of that and it magically gets rid of the stress and decreases the grain size blah blah blah... so then when you quench there are less forces in the steel fighting you to make it warp. I did NOT normalize my cane sword blade like an idiot so it bent like a banana.
Great advice! I mean... It puts a real damper on my assumption that I am just naturally gifted by Hephaestus, so... I hope your happy. But I will definitely be using the steps you outlined! BTW, that sword cane was SO COOL.
Another way to test the hardness is by getting a file and running it across the metal if it slides across it’s good if it catches and digs in it’s to soft and won’t hold a edge very wel
As a straightrazor shaver, I think you did a great job. Just a few things, is it for sale and is it shaving sharp ? By shaving sharp, I mean can it cut the hair without touching the skin. We call it topping. Any razor is razor sharp and will cut hair when placed against the skin, but will pull and yank your facial hair when you actually go to shave with it. So there is a distinct difference between razor sharp and shaving sharp. As to your choice of grind, half hollow is a good choice. It will sing as it shaves the hair off your face, but I was hoping you would have went with a near wedge or true wedge.
Goes by 1/8-8/8 inch because of the type of angle and width have different cutting properties and in England during 1800s it was a law for barbers that the razor had to be measured by eights of inches so it’s become custom now
So, does this mean you'll be putting together a "ye olde shayve satchel" for larp and Ren fair camping? The more stuff you can add to your belt the better! Also... my first blade turned out significantly worse than this and I was a metal worker for years before I even tried. So, it would seem you have a natural talent for it.
I was so excited to see this build! Several months ago I decided to get a shavette to shave either side of my mohawk 'cause it's just old-school cool ... and I'm sure Sweeny Todd had some influence in there, too. In fact, I let almost as much blood as he did, I think. Anyway, when I saw some of your electrolysis work, I was going to suggest a straight razor project with some Elvish etching on the blade. Are you going to make a strop to go with your slick new tool?
Yes clever. That is how to sharpen away from the edge. I have 2 short vids for you after finally rescuing a couple axe heads and knives. The edge will stay longer because the molecules hold better to each other and no monofiliment edge that can bend. Also there are stones that go from Super rough to almost glass you. Look into a set of Arkansas stones. My man I spent twenty bucks turn my aunt and have stones that will get a museum-quality shine on a blade.
You should make a leather jacket thick enough to function as light armor but with the mobility to function as a jacket with an embroidering on the back
skill tree please make a banjo. think of it like a quest to learning the trade of a bard. also if ever you needed help @clifton hicks has some killer instructional videos and he even references some books that helped him.
My left arm is almost completely bald. Buying knives is a stress relief for me. (Bad thing.) Sharpening my dull knives calms me. (Not as bad, but I do run out and buy more knives... not great for the money.) Probably won't attempt this skill, but it looks like fun.
hey great vid, i discovered you one hour ago and i really was thinking that you had at least 70/80 thousand sub due to the quality of the video, so great job! one thing if you'd like to save the work with making the handle you could do a kamisori style razor. And again congrats for the video i really love the gdr like style of improving the skills ♥ another tip i'm not an expert and i don't have ever forged anything (yet) but when quenching, agitating the blade only up and down should help preventig warps and bending another extra thing if you're going to get into knife sharpening surrend to having the arms and legs half shaved, it's the course of every knife entusiast
I’ve shaved with a straight razor for the last 15yrs. It would be nice to see it make a comeback. I place a piece of electrical tape on the spine when sharpening. It keeps the angle perfect and doesn’t F up my Damascus razor.
I could be overly critical of your job on the razor, but I won't! But, the biggest mistake you made was NOT tempering the razor! So your blade is extremely hard and brittle! So don't drop it or it could break! Tempering the razor will remove the brittleness but still leave it sharp! Something to consider on your next blade or razor! 🤔👍
