My Other Hobby

[Mark Yundt]

One of my hobbies is restoring and then using old straight razors.You didn't expect a wood carver to use an electric or one of those multi blade razors did you?
I got this old York razor along with 26 others recently. The blade wasn't in bad shape but the scales were awful. Now most razors are hollow ground equally on both sides of the blade. This one isn't. On one side it's nearly flat ground and the other side is hollow. This follows in the tradition of Japanese razors which are called Kamisoris. So with that in mind I restored the blade keeping it a satin finish instead of a mirror finish as the Japanese blades are done and carved a set of scales to resemble the handle on a Samurai sword, mimicking the wrappings they used.
The wood is Satinwood, finished with two coats of CA and then a poly. The gold which imitates the cap and hilt sections is 23K German Patent Gold.
I also had to make one, and modify another chisel to finish the carvings which you can see in the photo where I'm starting to rough out the scales.
Once honed up and stropped this piece shaves incredibly well.
The script on the blade reads York Razor,, registered 1850...

[Mark Yundt]

And since I'm on the topic here is another I finished recently which was part of a challenge to take a rusted piece that would normally be tossed out and see if it can't be rescued. I modified the blade in a number of ways and the shape of it reminded me of a whale. Soooo,,, I made the scales out of resins and used an ink ( I restore old fountain pens as well) for the color as the site where this is located also promoted a special buy on this ink, so I used it. Once I made the sheet stock I cut out the shape and "carved" the whale image . I made these scales a single pin where the hinge is located so I would not have another pin holding the scales together where the whales mouth would be. I also located the tang on the razor to mirror the shape of the tail as well as have the appearance that there was another whale behind this one.
On the blade itself, once I had it polished, I acid etched a Hump back whale on it completing the theme.
By the way, this one is also a terrific shaver.

[David Weaver]

I saw your footer on badger and blade, Mark. I don't do a lot of restoring (well, beyond what I need to do to shave with a razor, including repairing damage if necessary), but I sure like to shave with them. Look forward to it every single morning.

Nice work, btw, all of it is tidy, but the acid etch of the whale is a nice touch.

[Mark Yundt]

Here is another I did with the same type etching and blade restoration. This one too was a mess when I started. I did the Whale etch first,, but it's not quite as deep as the resist started lifting so I had to stop. With this razor it came out a bit better as I anticipated it. Here as well I made the scale material. I also make my own strops as well as brushes. These things are addicting both in their use as well as restoration.

The ink I used for tinting the Whale was Badger & Blade Benevolent Blue Ink.

[Ted Calver]

Mark, These are all beautiful, but the whale is fantastic!! Very creative. Thank you for sharing.

[randall rosenthal]

i really like these as well. i guess we all have a strong affinity for sharpened metal.

[Mark Yundt]

Thanks Ted,and Randall, yeah, that Whale really came together. Sharp metal... nothing like it. So direct and personal.
One more based on a theme. The razor is called a Red Injun, so naturally I did a red feather. Carving this acrylic is interesting to say the least.

[Jerrimy Snook]

Mark,
These are stunning! Not being a straight razor guy, I've only seen razors like your "before" pictures. Your afters are truly artwork. It boggles my mind that you can see the finished product when you begin. I only see rusted metal.

but I sure like to shave with them. Look forward to it every single morning.

David... Seriously? The only thing I like less than shaving is the look on my wife's face when I kiss her with my whiskers. I have never used a straight blade before are they that much better than my disposable gillettes?

Jerrimy

[Mark Yundt]

I don't wish to step on a question directed at David, but yes,, these things are simply amazing to shave with. Like David, I look forward to my shaves with them. Years ago I used disposables, then went back to a Double Edge ( I have around 100 of them) and now I'm seriously hooked on straights. For an example, I shave with a DE,, and get a baby butt smooth shave. If I then shave with a straight,, it removes even more whiskers. A DE shave ( or multi blade, cart. dispos.etc.) will last around 8 hrs. till I feel stubble. With a straight, I'll feel the same stubble nearly 16 hrs. later.
And the "routine" of using one of 30 or so pucks of soap, using one of my soft badger hair brushes to whip up a warm lather ( rather than that goo in a can) in one of my marble/alabaster/pottery mugs to keep the lather nice and warm,,makes the dull routine of shaving a Zen like experience. And I get to look forward to it every day.

[Mark Yundt]

You can scroll through here to see examples of the brushes I have made, use and restore.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markyundt/

[David Weaver]

David... Seriously? The only thing I like less than shaving is the look on my wife's face when I kiss her with my whiskers. I have never used a straight blade before are they that much better than my disposable gillettes?

Jerrimy

Like Mark says (paraphrased from several posts) - having an edge that you have sharpened and had control over the comfort level of is a much more personal less remote way of shaving, and it makes the experience something you look forward to. In my case, I have trouble with razor burn no matter what I use. I don't have razor burn trouble with a straight razor if I finish the edge on a natural stone. I used to shave with a cartridge razor in the shower because if I let my face dry at all and shaved outside of it, guaranteed razor burn.

The straight shave is so much better. That's not to say you won't nick yourself a few times, and maybe go through a couple of rough shaves when you learn the difference between a sharp aggressive edge and a comfortable and sharp shaving edge, but you get past that pretty quickly.

It takes me almost exactly 6 minutes to shave every day (including stropping the razor and cleaning up). It probably was a minute or two before with the cartridge razors in the shower, but I'll trade that 4 minutes out of my day any time.

[Mark Yundt]

Here is an article stating the growing following of straight razor shaving,
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,2188007.story

Also , using the classic old double edge razors has a tremendous following. There are hundreds of blades/razor combinations you can choose from as well as a great variety of NEW razors as well. I still use my Grandfathers 1907 Gillette,, that he passed on to my dad,, who then gave it to me when I started shaving.
Check out this guys collection and tell me you wouldn't like to wrap your hands around one of these every day.
www.mr-razor.com
Any one would make me look forward to a shave. Then you throw in the badger hair brushes,,soaps,,etc. restoring old brushes with new knots,,the avenues to explore are nearly endless,, besides getting a great shave with a different mindset than just a routine you dread doing. It becomes an event in your day.
Besides the benefits to your face eliminating razor burn,,ingrown hairs etc. It can also be much more economical ( have you priced cartridges lately???) Better for the environment. Not sure if you can tell, but I'm very much into this .

[randall rosenthal]

i shave once a week whether i need it or not. those razors are beautiful....i love the red feather. what kind of tools did you use?

[Mark Yundt]

Thank you Randall. I'm just the opposite, though I was in your position at one time. I shave at least once a day whether or not I need it! Some days I wish my beard grew quicker,, or my blades were not so brutally efficient that I could easily skip a day.But I do look forward to playing with my toys. Something about using a 100-150yr+ tool that have served how many times for others and have it perform flawlessly for me. The learning curve is dramatic,, but to me worth the effort. It gives you a different perspective than a disposable.I'm in my shop building a razor, hone it up myself,, then utilize some skills to make it work when I head in to get cleaned up. Like David said,, it's personal. Functional art as well as a piece of history in your hand.Some of my pieces were around during the Revolutionary War. That's cool.

I had to use power to get through the acrylic. Diamond bits etc. then careful sanding prior to buffing. Same for the Whale.

[randall rosenthal]

very cool!!....i'm just lazy when it comes to shaving. but i get it...i've enjoyed the use of homemade things.