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Shawn's forging shed

Thanks Eric. There are a few things I'm not happy with, but I think I learned a few things along the way. It definitely has some flaws, but for my second razor, I guess it's not too bad. Definitely better than my first. Hopefully they continue to get better from here.
 
ShawnF said:
Thanks Eric. There are a few things I'm not happy with, but I think I learned a few things along the way. It definitely has some flaws, but for my second razor, I guess it's not too bad. Definitely better than my first. Hopefully they continue to get better from here.
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Part of the fun is learning as you go. You can only go so far with tutorial videos and other resources. There is no substitute for finding the imperfections in your own work and process, and figuring out how to eliminate them on the next go-round.
 
Smattayu said:
Part of the fun is learning as you go. You can only go so far with tutorial videos and other resources. There is no substitute for finding the imperfections in your own work and process, and figuring out how to eliminate them on the next go-round.
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I definitely find imperfections haha. I haven't made anything yet that I am 100% happy with. I always find something wrong with them. At least it is all cosmetic though. Structurally they are all sound, but my fit and finish is where I'm constantly trying to improve.

That said, it pushes me to get better though. I'd rather be improving and making better things, than settling at mediocre.
 
That is a beauty. I am sure they will get to where you want them to be soon.
 
Thanks for the complement on the corkscrew all I like to make them then test them out. on the Press I was talking about a micarta you make. Just finishing a 2 x 72 belt sander build should be usable this weekend will post a photo of it Sunday done or not it just needs some tweaking this is what it looks like today
 
south paw said:
Thanks for the complement on the corkscrew all I like to make them then test them out. on the Press I was talking about a micarta you make. Just finishing a 2 x 72 belt sander build should be usable this weekend will post a photo of it Sunday done or not it just needs some tweaking this is what it looks like today
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Nice looking machine. I order belts from Tru-Grit. Best price I've found for mine, plus there is no minimum order. Places like Combat Abrasives you need to order at least 6 I think of each grit you choose. Ok for a big shop, but I can't put that much overhead in right now. Tru-Grit I can order just one belt period if that's all I want, plus they are cheaper. That's for my 2x48 though. I haven't really looked at 2x72 prices. And the ceramic belts ARE worth the money.

For the micarta, I just built a little box out of some plywood scraps and lined it with wax paper. The top drops down inside so it's "adjustable", then I clamp it on the 4 corners with squeeze clamps. I know there are better ways, but for proof of concept, it worked pretty good.
 
Oh my goodness I’ve missed a LOT! Reading slow and just powered through here! You have an amazing talent, and your razor project shows you are also in possession of a very delicate touch on the grinder!
 
Majorrich said:
Oh my goodness I’ve missed a LOT! Reading slow and just powered through here! You have an amazing talent, and your razor project shows you are also in possession of a very delicate touch on the grinder!
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Thank you Rich. I don't know about delicate touch, but I got lucky anyway.
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Okay, let's try this and see if everything loaded right. I have no video editing software or even a clue how to do it if I did, so you get a bunch of short videos of me working each heat.

Most of you already know Dave in KY and I made a trade, and he was wanting to see progress as I went. I was going to take a few photos, but I thought you guys might like this instead.

(I am starting with a photo though.) This is the thick piece I started from and a template to base my shape off of and give me a reference along the way to get me close to what I want.



In this first video, I am using the round of the horn and off center hammer blows to lengthen and thin the steel.

https://youtu.be/STiz9XYkylo

Here I am using the cross peen with the round of the horn to further thin and stretch the material working to get the overall length that I need. You can see at the end how much thinner it already is becoming just from the one hammering.

https://youtu.be/xkW2JKreZtQ

Here after some more drawing out, I am starting to form where I want the tip of the blade.

https://youtu.be/kGvWZJhvA6c
 
Just finishing up the width of the blade now with a different set of tongs and turning it so I can work the handle in the next heat.

https://youtu.be/McxOz6Xdy5M

Now I'm using a small radius on the horn to start the finger grooves and define where the "guard" will be in the ricasso.

https://youtu.be/f3qsUY_udfQ

And just finalizing the rough shape of the handle.

https://youtu.be/f3qsUY_udfQ

Ended up being pretty close to the template, and when I do my clean-up grinding and final profile I can make it a little bit unique.



After I got it to that point, I put it back in the forge to heat up again, then shut off the forge and left it in there all closed up to cool slowly and anneal it a bit for grinding. Won't soften as much that way as it would if I could bring it down slowly in a tempering oven the proper way, but it still helps a bit.
 
WOW Shawn !!!! This is above and beyond what I hoped for to see the progress but will be good for all to see how much work you put into these gems. Thanks for the efforts to let me enjoy the process. You ROCK !!!!
 
I'm glad you enjoyed it Dave. The hardest part was I couldn't listen to my music while I was recording because it's all on my phone.
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