Plastic Handles?

[Gunky]

I know there are some people who make custom metal handles, but has anyone thought of making plastic/Bakelite handles? Thick and dense, no flimsy stuff.

 

[luvmysuper]

I have not seen to much in the threads that would lead someone to think that there would be a big demand for it. Most guys seem to want a razor with some weight and heft to it and I'm not sure you could get that with plastic. Bakelite's time has come and gone it seems, and I don't think you could even purchase the material anymore to make handles. A quick Google search didn't turn anything up, but I may have missed it.

 

[82R100]

Bakelite's a phenolic, thermoset plastic and phenolics are still produced, but generally for unfashionable applications, typically where rigidity and/or tolerance for high temperatures are desired: cookware handles, car ashtrays, electrical fuse and switch boxes, etc. I don't know that I've seen it machined. It's quite brittle, typically, and a machined surface would possibly take on a lighter color from its texture.

Similarly, thermoplastics (which melt at lower temperatures and are more common in consumer goods) are typically not molded in heavy sections, due to their high level of shrinkage and the resulting aesthetics failure. Typically used in cost-driven applications, I don't think you'll see most of these machined either.

If there are artists in our midst, it seems like there must be some sort of synthetic raw material available for sculpture use, and that might lend itself to this.

- Chris

 

[cooncatbob]

I believe Tony at the GoldenNib/Penworks turns razor handles from acrylic pen blanks.