Replicating the EJ Head in Stainless Steel?

[The Don]

Good Morning Gents,

I enjoy the shaves I get from the Edwin Jagger head, and I'd really love to have one (or several) copied in stainless steel. Recently I've contacted a few machine shops in my area to see if it would be possible, but there has basically been zero interest. Can anyone out there weigh in on how difficult it would be to do this, or if it can be done at all? My knowledge of these sorts of things is basically nil, so could it be I'm just not reaching out to the right type of people? Further, would I be violating some sort of patent by copying a few of these for personal use (and perhaps a few as gifts)?

Thanks,
Don

 

[JayEddie]

If there are patent numbers either on the razor itself, or the packaging it comes in then yes, you would be. But, even if they didn't have a patent on the head, to identically copy something (even as basic as a razor) is a much bigger undertaking than people realize. Reverse engineering something is very time consuming. You will either need to find a machinist with a personal interest in DE shaving, or get a bunch of people in on the project. Going through what you would need to, to produce a few razors isn't realistic.

 

[srm_92000]

I've made a couple of handles in stainless and it's a real PITA to work with, even the so called free cutting 303.
Maybe consider brass and plating it, as Gillette did with many razors (I believe the EJ is some sort of cast zinc alloy ??)

 

[JeffBr]

I certainly understand your desire....and also agree with the difficulty. I wanted a Stainless and found the Weber Polished to be slightly more aggressive, but it looks great, shaves well. There is a thread now about issues, however I have been very satisfied. ( I really like the bulldog handle, even with the EJ)

 

[Rothman]

It can definitely be done though it would cost a small fortune. It would almost have to be done on a CNC machine as making the pieces manually would be extremely labor intensive and honestly darn near impossible to replicate the flowing underside. You would be looking at $200-300 for something close to the DE89.

As far as CNC goes, it would take a good programmer close to a day to have solid programs to make the pieces. A good programmer usually makes well over $100K annually FYI. I would say the programming alone would be over a grand. Even then there is testing involved to ensure that the programs translate to a good product, which costs money. Then you have to look at tooling costs, machine operator costs, and add material costs.

Unless you're making a production run, it's nowhere near worth it. That's why most companies have a prototype made and cast from that. Casting is easy and cheap(er).

Stainless can be cast as well but it is more expensive because it must be in an inert atmosphere or it will oxidize after a certain temperature.

I've been a manual machinist, CNC machinist/programmer, and welder for the Air Force for 10+ years and have made some pretty interesting stuff but this would be a challenge.

Bottom line, it's just not worth it.

 

[xillion]

How about metal injection molding like the Feather AS and 2012 ikon heads?

http://www.ssisintered.com/

http://www.phoenixsintered.com/index.html

 

[Kilroy08]

Sorry I took so long to reply. ( got your pm, work has been busy as all get out )

For those of you that don't know, I am a machinist and haven't stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in a long time.

To properly do a razor head, you would need to do it as a casting, then finish machine it, or do the whole thing in a CNC mill.

CNC time is beucoup bucks. Writing the program is costly. To set up for a onesie twosie, is a guaranteed wallet buster.

The pitfalls of prototyping are that to get a decent price on a part, you need to order in magnitudes of hundreds, if not thousands.

 

[HUF]

There is nothing patentable in a DE89 head. I can create 3D copy of the head with SolidWorks (software) in a couple of hours, but manufacturing is going to be very expensive. You have to get enough orders first.

 

[RobE]

Practically speaking, not doable, but... you could always purchase a Weber SS razor. It's probably close enough.