Hi all I thought I would post some pics of some works in progress,they might be helpful for anyone considering making their own straight razors.
Here are the templates after initial profiling and I have rough ground them on my 2x72" belt grinder using an 8" contact wheel,the blades are left with some meat on so they don't warp when heat treated,The cutting edge is about 1/16" thick at this point.The top razor has now become my spinework practice razor after becoming too hot and warping when I was experimenting with a grinding jig,I managed to grind the blade too thin and it warped almost instantly, The razors are finished to about 120 grit ready for heat treatment.
Next up is heat treating ,the first thing I do is bring the razors up to about 810c,to do this I use a paragon electric kiln which is digitally temperature controlled,And then remove them and allow them to cool to room temp I repeat this twice,this step removes any stresses from all the shaping and grinding in the hope that the blades won't crack or warp when quenched.Then they are in the kiln again and when they reach 810c they are held for about 15 minutes to let them soak.Then it's quenching time I use vegetable oil that is preheated to about 50c,once quenched I test the hardness of the blades they are about 65 Rockwell at this point.Then it's back in the kiln again for an hour at 200c I do this twice allowing the razors to cool to room temp in between, when they emerge they are about 62 Rockwell ideal for razors.
Now the razors are heat treated it's time for finish grinding,this is probably the most critical step in the process as a minor lack in concentration can ruin a razor in a heartbeat.for this stage I slow the grinder to its slowest speed and constantly dip the razor in cold water as soon as I feel any heat buildup,I grind on the 8" contact wheel with a 60 grit ceramic belt until the blade is around 0.007-0.009" thick then I set the bevel for the first time on a course diamond hone mainly so I can see where there needs to be more material removed from to keep the grind even.Then I repeat this step as I move up the grits and finally finish at about 340 grit.then the rest of the razor is finished up to 340 grit.
Through hours of trial and error with error playing a big role,thanks for your good comments cheers ed.
Next up I hone the razors starting on a naniwa 1k then 5k,8k,12k then I finish up on a shoubudani asagi with slurry then water, then they hit the strop.
