Newbie ambitious start?

[timtiminy]

Hi Badger & Blade! I'm brand new here and have been DE shaving for a couple years, been wanting to get on the straight razor train but didn't want to spend a small fortune getting there. Consequently I recently found some vintage razor blanks that are unfinished that I thought would be an awesome project to put me in this game head first and be basically a brand new quality blade when I'm done. It's probably quite an ambitious start but I'm quite handy with this sort of stuff and enjoy a good challenge. I dont want to mess anything up so I've been scouring the web finding all the info I could about the process of finishing these blades. I came across a website thevoicestoldmeto and I saw his article on considering the Gold Dollar 66 as a razor blank and modifying it into a good shaver. I thought this may be a good cheap way to get some practice before I finish the nice vintage blades I got. I also figured the refinished Gold Dollar razors could make good birthday and Christmas presents for some guys I know. For honing I plan on using Lapping films and taking my time with everything. Any words of wisdom or advice as far as my plan goes? Is their any cheaper source for the Gold Dollar 66 razors besides buying 5+ through starshaving ?
Thanks! I look forward to hearing back from you all
Tim

Heres a crappy pic of the two vintage blade blanks I got.

 

[ANeat]

Welcome....You can usually find Gold Dollars on Ebay for about $4.00 each shipped. And yes they make a great base for a custom razor.

My only concern with buying "blanks" is if the heat treatment was done or not. Is the blade "hard"

Usually on a mass produced blade the blanks go thru a couple of stamping operations, forging, blanking. Somewhere thru the process they get heat treated, brought up to a specific temp and quenched.

If your blanks have been heat treated? Tough to say without a hardness test. You can make a pretty good educated guess by seeing how the steel reacts to a file. If its "hard" the file should hardly bite into the steel. If its soft the file will dig right in. Of course you want to test this on an inconspicuous area

I really like the shape of the bottom blade

 

[timtiminy]

ANeat: thanks for the reply! I hadn't even thought of the hardening, good idea on "testing" it with a file. I also like the shape of the bottom razor, although if one is less finished or lacking hardening I think it would be that one since it has no stampings or markings on it and does not have the pin hole drilled.

 

[tomjr]

what is the stamping on the top blade? i can not make it out.

 

[hillbilly]

Bottom one is F. Herder blank. Think that's how its spelled. I got one just like it. Heat treated and tempered it(went well) but was not able to grind it as thin as factory. Still a pretty great shaver. P.m me and get ht info.

 

[timtiminy]

tomjr:
stamping reads,
172
FREDR. HERDER ABR. SOHN
(Spade)SOLINGEN-GERMANY(crossed skeleton keys)

 

[tomjr]

tomjr:
stamping reads,
172
FREDR. HERDER ABR. SOHN
(Spade)SOLINGEN-GERMANY(crossed skeleton keys)

thanks, i have a couple of blanks marked 'HERDER' myself. best of luck. i since have picked up a few "HERDER'S", they are among the very best.IMO. tom

 

[timtiminy]

Anybody have an ideas on when these might have been made??

 

[timtiminy]

If anyone knows anyone on here that does heat treating and blade grinding I'd be thrilled to know.

 

[tomjr]

i think the factory was bombed during WW 2. my woefully inadequate knowledge stands to be corrected. they are among the best IMO.