Get ready Gold Dollar 66's!

[77TransAm]

Hey all!

I just ordered a dozen GD 66's to play with. I also ordered 15micron, 3micron, .5micron, .1micron diamond lapping films. I have a dremel with diamond bits and blades to mod the spine and the rest of the blade. I'm new to straights, so I have a question for the vets; what else do I need? I don't plan on modifying the scales until I know I can make a blade worthy of custom scales.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I have a nice made in USA leather strop as well.

If there's anything else that I need that will help me out, please let me know. I want to dive into this with all the products to finish the job.

Thanks!

 

[Haggises]

Good luck!
you may also need a good honed other straight (try from BST) so that you know exactly what you're aiming for with respect to shaving with a straight.

 

[Seraphim]

Eye protection!!!!!!!!!


Also, I found that the diamond bits didn't work very well._\

 

[Obiwan]

Eye protection!!!!!!!!!


Also, I found that the diamond bits didn't work very well._\

a huge +1 there. I also second getting a shave ready razor from someone else as a basis to compare.

 

[Slash McCoy]

What I like about AlOx and SiOx lapping films is the size. I can cut an 8-1/2" x 11" or a 9" x 13" sheet into 3 or 4 really big pieces. Most diamond film is only sold in 6" squares and that sucks to me. Plus it is a lot more expensive, and yeah it lasts a little longer but not enough to be more cost effective than AlOx film.

From 15u to 3u is kind of a big jump. from 3u to .5u is a bigger jump, a 6x jump to be exact. Consider getting some 9u and 1u film to break that up. You can do it with what you got but it will be easier with smaller jumps. A 3x jump is plenty IMHO.

A dozen is a good number to start with. You will probably destroy at least a couple. Possibly there will be a couple so whack that you don't even want to mess with them. You will want 2 or 3 to keep in your rotation. You will maybe want to PIF one and maybe sell a couple if they come out nice, to pay for those dreadfully expensive high quality specially imported blades from the Orient. And a couple more just for good measure. That adds up to an even dozen. Good show.

The dremel attachment I use the most is the sanding drum. They cut fast and are a little more controllable than the stones, or the carbide or diamond cutters. Get lots of the drums because they wear out. The aftermarket 3rd party ones not made by dremel sometimes fly apart. Just sayin. Also handy is the flap wheel sanding attachment. The diamond and other bits including small grinding stone bits can be useful for jimps or for working the spine but me, I don't worry about a worked spine or jimps these days.

Your most important tool is your brain. Next is eye protection.

You also want sandpaper from 60 grit up to 2k grit. The finer grits you can find at AutoZone. The rest, Home Depot. Don't know if these guys have invaded Canada yet or not. And you want a polished marble edge tile. This is for your lapping plate. It must be dead flat and very smooth so the film is very flat and sticks to it good with water suction. Good for sanding, too. And rough honing. For a flat sanding or honing surface, get some Loctite or 3M spray adhesive and give it a very light spray on the back of the sandpaper, then carefully apply it flat and smooth and tight to the tile. You could also cut a piece of VERY thick and heavy glass, like from a glass coffee table top or a commercial glass door. Your local glass shop might help you out. About 3" x 12" works great.

A belt sander can be handy for thinning the shank or the spine, but not really necessary. You can do all that on 60 grit glued to your lapping plate. You want some acetone to clean up every trace of glue residue, especially before applying film. Better, get two plates, one for glue and sandpaper, one for water and film.

A good mill bastard file. Use this for filing the head off of pivot pins for pulling the scales.

Sharpie marker. You will use this a lot to see what parts are getting hit and what not. Also electrical tape. Good protection for the scales when you are pinning new ones on a blade. or protecting the edge while honing the spine thinner, or anywhere that a little protection is needed.

Coping saw, for cutting out scales from aluminum, Lucite or plexiglass or plastic or acrylic or lexan, or wood, whatever.

1/16" drill bits.

Drill press of some kind, so you can drill nice vertical holes in scales.

Brass or nickel-silver rod, or brass bolts, 1/16" dia. The bolts you can get from www.microfasteners.com. They got brass and stainless washers, too. I recommend stainless. size 0 and 00.

Material for scales.

Diamond paste. 3u, 1u, .5u, .1u for polishing scales and blades. Also the .5u and .1u work great on a balsa strop for edge maintenance.

Beer. You will go through lots of beer because you will put one down here and put one down there and well probably drink a few all the way down as well.

Epoxy and Superglue.

That's about all you need I think.

Even if you don't make new scales, you still need to unpin the old ones to work on the blade, then re-pin them. But really, scales are easier than the blade.

Lots threads about modding GD66's. Have fun. And welcome to the really awesome super dark side.

 

[77TransAm]

View attachment 363035

What I like about AlOx and SiOx lapping films is the size. I can cut an 8-1/2" x 11" or a 9" x 13" sheet into 3 or 4 really big pieces. Most diamond film is only sold in 6" squares and that sucks to me. Plus it is a lot more expensive, and yeah it lasts a little longer but not enough to be more cost effective than AlOx film.

From 15u to 3u is kind of a big jump. from 3u to .5u is a bigger jump, a 6x jump to be exact. Consider getting some 9u and 1u film to break that up. You can do it with what you got but it will be easier with smaller jumps. A 3x jump is plenty IMHO.

A dozen is a good number to start with. You will probably destroy at least a couple. Possibly there will be a couple so whack that you don't even want to mess with them. You will want 2 or 3 to keep in your rotation. You will maybe want to PIF one and maybe sell a couple if they come out nice, to pay for those dreadfully expensive high quality specially imported blades from the Orient. And a couple more just for good measure. That adds up to an even dozen. Good show.

The dremel attachment I use the most is the sanding drum. They cut fast and are a little more controllable than the stones, or the carbide or diamond cutters. Get lots of the drums because they wear out. The aftermarket 3rd party ones not made by dremel sometimes fly apart. Just sayin. Also handy is the flap wheel sanding attachment. The diamond and other bits including small grinding stone bits can be useful for jimps or for working the spine but me, I don't worry about a worked spine or jimps these days.

Your most important tool is your brain. Next is eye protection.

You also want sandpaper from 60 grit up to 2k grit. The finer grits you can find at AutoZone. The rest, Home Depot. Don't know if these guys have invaded Canada yet or not. And you want a polished marble edge tile. This is for your lapping plate. It must be dead flat and very smooth so the film is very flat and sticks to it good with water suction. Good for sanding, too. And rough honing. For a flat sanding or honing surface, get some Loctite or 3M spray adhesive and give it a very light spray on the back of the sandpaper, then carefully apply it flat and smooth and tight to the tile. You could also cut a piece of VERY thick and heavy glass, like from a glass coffee table top or a commercial glass door. Your local glass shop might help you out. About 3" x 12" works great.

A belt sander can be handy for thinning the shank or the spine, but not really necessary. You can do all that on 60 grit glued to your lapping plate. You want some acetone to clean up every trace of glue residue, especially before applying film. Better, get two plates, one for glue and sandpaper, one for water and film.

A good mill bastard file. Use this for filing the head off of pivot pins for pulling the scales.

Sharpie marker. You will use this a lot to see what parts are getting hit and what not. Also electrical tape. Good protection for the scales when you are pinning new ones on a blade. or protecting the edge while honing the spine thinner, or anywhere that a little protection is needed.

Coping saw, for cutting out scales from aluminum, Lucite or plexiglass or plastic or acrylic or lexan, or wood, whatever.

1/16" drill bits.

Drill press of some kind, so you can drill nice vertical holes in scales.

Brass or nickel-silver rod, or brass bolts, 1/16" dia. The bolts you can get from www.microfasteners.com. They got brass and stainless washers, too. I recommend stainless. size 0 and 00.

Material for scales.

Diamond paste. 3u, 1u, .5u, .1u for polishing scales and blades. Also the .5u and .1u work great on a balsa strop for edge maintenance.

Beer. You will go through lots of beer because you will put one down here and put one down there and well probably drink a few all the way down as well.

Epoxy and Superglue.

That's about all you need I think.

Even if you don't make new scales, you still need to unpin the old ones to work on the blade, then re-pin them. But really, scales are easier than the blade.

Lots threads about modding GD66's. Have fun. And welcome to the really awesome super dark side.

Thanks for the advice! I've seen your youtube videos, so I have a general idea on how to cut the film and how to get it to stick to glass.

Also, the sheets I bought are 8.5" x 11", so the size of regular printer paper. I'll cut them into strips that will be more manageable though.

I will work on finding some film with different micron grits so I'm not jumping microns as much.

Also, I have plenty of beer.... and rum. I'm a captain and coke guy myself. But I can see what you mean, the amount of time you put into each blade will require lots of beer to keep you hydrated


And yes, I do plan on selling a few once I've mastered the technique, and my first one will be a PIF. Also, I bought a shave ready GD66 from flea bay, it treetops arm hairs so I have an idea of what sharp really is.

Thanks again everyone