2018 Gold Dollar Mod Competition

[Ice-Man]

mr_houston That is starting to look good Sir!!!

 

[GearNoir]

It begins!

 

[Slash McCoy]

I’ll play — Novice Class.

I got a chance to grab 5 GDs from @forefather a couple of months ago at cost, and was impressed that these things could actually be honed up.

My goal is to make one into a fairly classic style razor. I’ve got a dremel, a belt sander, a coping saw, hones, and the misc. small tools.

Here is the result of my first grinding. I did the thumb notch / bevel removal first to see if I could even do it. Then squared off the end a bit. I took a bit off the top of the spine, esp at the toe end - I want it the look like a straight blade instead of a smiler.

I spent a long time grinding the sides of the spine. Seems like I took off a ton of steel. First round was to just thin the over-wide spine on the belt sander. The second round was to flatten the sides of the spine for the sake of an even bevel. This was done on a DMT-like plate and a 1k hone. Round 2 took a couple of hours — grind, test, grind, test etc. I never got it perfect, but good enough.

View attachment 881162

You are on the right track. A couple of hints from someone who has done er, "a few" GD mods.

Notice the large bevel surface on the spine. A necessary intermediate condition. But if you leave it so, then the spine will not wear as quickly as it should, in proportion to the edge. So a further step is to push the hollow grind up into the spine to narrow the spine bevel and also increase the virtual width of the blade. About 80% of the spine bevel surface must disappear, and the remainder be rounded nicely.

When thinning a spine, care must be taken to ensure that the spine is brought into perfect alignment with the edge. I first set a STRAIGHT bevel and then "tape" the edge with metal from a can lid tightly bent or folded, and that becomes my guide for grinding the spine on the belt sander.

For a true shoulder less razor the shank must be thinned to the point where it positively does not intrude into the plane of the bevel. IOW it needs to be significantly thinner than the spine. So, when honing, the spine sits flat on the hone even when you accidentally extend the razor too far out onto the hone.

If you stick with it, you will find that your HD mods outperform most stock manufactured razors in nearly every way, and you will find an artistic direction of your own to follow.

 

[mr_houston]

So a further step is to push the hollow grind up into the spine to narrow the spine bevel and also increase the virtual width of the blade. About 80% of the spine bevel surface must disappear, and the remainder be rounded nicely.

I’d love to be able to push the hollow grind up. But how could someone do that with my setup - a dremel and a belt sander with no small wheel?

As an alternative, I have considered grinding down the top of the spine for better proportion and reduced weight.

 

[Slash McCoy]

No, don't take down the top of the spine. Then you are increasing the bevel angle again. You can do the hollowgrind with a piece of garden hose and some 60 grit if you are patient. A Black & Decker Dragster belt sander works nicely though.

 

[mr_houston]

I don’t think I explained very well. I don’t know what you call it, but I will refer to the hone wear line on the spine as a spine bevel.

With the spine bevel already set, then any steel above that line makes no difference. It curves away from the spine bevel towards top center of the spine. Here I’ve ground the top some more towards the spine bevel.

I’d rather increase the hollow grind upwards as you suggest, but I just don’t have the skills for it - maybe next year.

 

[joamo]

Could we discuss safety and best practices when modifying razors? This could be very important information for the novices and good reminders for the experienced modders as well.

 

[Ice-Man]

Could we discuss safety and best practices when modifying razors? This could be very important information for the novices and good reminders for the experienced modders as well.

Joe It is in the main topic
Quote.
"Mod responsibly- always wear the proper protective gear when using power tools." unquote

But if anybody has doubts please ask and remember the blade is sharp even if you have knocked the edge off it will still cut

 

[DeathKnell]

Here's what I've got so far. Now it's on to hand sanding.

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[GearNoir]

Already looking slick guys! Keep it up!

 

[Slash McCoy]

Nice

Here's what I've got so far. Now it's on to hand sanding.

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Nice Dreadnaught profile. This one will be interesting.

 

[Legion]

It's on like Donkey Kong. Great prizes, and always fun seeing the end results. Good luck, all.

 

[paintflinger]

Electric tape on the edge is always a good idea.

 

[6Cuda6]

I dont know why i torture myself by watching this thread....lol. Maybe some day.....hahaha

 

[DeathKnell]

You still have time.... I'll even mail you a GD.

I dont know why i torture myself by watching this thread....lol. Maybe some day.....hahaha

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[John Rose]

It's a competition we have every year where cheap ~5 dollar razors are modified into beautiful shavers. Check out this thread for past competitions.

Ah.
So it's like pimping out an inexpensive Squier Affinity Stratocaster with new pickups, etc.

 

[6Cuda6]

You still have time.... I'll even mail you a GD.

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This is what makes this site so awesome...thank you for the offer but sadly i have to decline as i live in a hotel about 260 days a year.

 

[DeathKnell]

This is what makes this site so awesome...thank you for the offer but sadly i have to decline as i live in a hotel about 260 days a year.

Understandable...lol. I use to run a schedule like that.

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[sfeile]

Razors are looking good gentlemen!

 

[Polarbeard]

Not this year but some year I'll give it a try.