Travel handle

[CheapShvr]

I noticed the Gillette travel razors with approximately 2 inch handles while browsing at eBay. I decided to make my own very short handle to try. I am surprised to discover I really like it and somehow seem to get better shaves with a very short handle

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The razor in the photo is homemade by me from 1/8 x 1 inch aluminum bar, mostly with a hand file. The handle is from 3/8 inch steel rod. After drilling and tapping for the threaded post on the top cap I drilled a larger hole from the other end to make it hollow and welded the end closed again. I added gripping grooves on a lathe. My handle is 2 3/8 inches long.

 

[dmshaver]

Very nice! You have more skills than me, good sir.

 

[ajkel64]

Well done. I prefer longer handles and I don’t like the small handles on the travel techs so I don’t use my travel techs.

 

[CheapShvr]

Very nice! You have more skills than me, good sir.

Thank you. That is kind of you to say. My razor works well for me, even if it lacks some things one normally expects from a commercially produced razor.

 

[CheapShvr]

Well done. I prefer longer handles and I don’t like the small handles on the travel techs so I don’t use my travel techs.

I thought I prefer long handles and was very surprised that I do like this short handle. It is harder to apply pressure with a short handle. That is a good thing for me. It will probably mean even fewer nicks in the future.

 

[BigJ]

Great work!!

 

[THall]

Awesome work.

Talking about making your own razor is like talking about writing your own novel. A lot of us talk about it and I love seeing when people actually do it.

 

[Mystical Ninja]

I have 2 razors that I love to travel with. 1 is my Gillette Tuckaway, the other is a Travalong from the 1950's. The Gillette is a typical 3 piece open comb razor set, has some weight to it.

The Travalong is where it's at! Aluminum build, it's the size of a pack of razorblades and it folds into itself, much like a transformer toy from the 1980's, just not as frustrating. IMO it's the most compact razor ever built.

The reason I love this one so much, is that it doesn't require a travel case or for me to pack razors, the blades fit in the handle of the razor and is its own travel case. The only issue is that it can get easily lost in my Dopp kit, due to its diminutive size. The shave is good too, not great, not bad, but more of a shave that only needs to last the day. The blade gap is almost non existent, so the shave is incredibly smooth, but definitely won't give you the BBS shave other razors will.

 

[CheapShvr]

Awesome work.

Talking about making your own razor is like talking about writing your own novel. A lot of us talk about it and I love seeing when people actually do it.

Thank you. I had a couple of false attempts. This is actually my third “successful” attempt. The one in the foreground is from 1 1/2 inch PVC and 3/4 inch electrical conduit. The middle razor is made of mild steel parts: 1/2 inch flat bar and 1/8 inch rod with a handle of 3/8 inch steel rod. I can bend the safety bars on the baseplate to make it milder or more aggressive. The one in the background is the aluminum razor shown here, but with the handle of a Merkur 23C. The blade self-aligns on the mild steel razor. The others align by fiddling manually, except I have made a jig for the aluminum razor that aligns the blade and the baseplate for me. I have not used the PVC razor in a long while, but It performs very well.
The easiest of the three for anyone to make is the PVC and conduit razor. Use sandpaper on a board to shape the PVC by dragging the PVC over it with a rolling motion. Shim with plastic electrical tape on top of the PVC where the blade will rest to get the desired aggressiveness and to balance the cut if it is unequal between the sides. Make the pieces a little large and bring them down to size slowly with sandpaper or a file. I never notice the screwhead on the top cap. Lather escapes just fine around the ends of the razor without holes between the safety bars and the center part of the baseplate.

 

[CheapShvr]

Great work!!

Thank you. I have been coveting a Rockwell 6s or a Parker Variant. I have even concluded I could buy a Rockwell stainless top cap and a Rockwell stainless 2/4 plate for the shave I would want, and do it for only $45 US plus s & h. The cash outlay would not be a problem if I paid full price for either razor. But, I already have five razors: three homemade shown in a response to another commenter here, a Merkur 23C, and a $6 combination open and closed comb head I bought to see if I would like DE shaving. In the past I have had extras of something (photo equipment, fountain pens) and felt embarrassed to see them unused in a drawer. So, I will probably just continue to enjoy good shaves from what I already have.

 

[CheapShvr]

I have 2 razors that I love to travel with. 1 is my Gillette Tuckaway, the other is a Travalong from the 1950's. The Gillette is a typical 3 piece open comb razor set, has some weight to it.

The Travalong is where it's at! Aluminum build, it's the size of a pack of razorblades and it folds into itself, much like a transformer toy from the 1980's, just not as frustrating. IMO it's the most compact razor ever built.

The reason I love this one so much, is that it doesn't require a travel case or for me to pack razors, the blades fit in the handle of the razor and is its own travel case. The only issue is that it can get easily lost in my Dopp kit, due to its diminutive size. The shave is good too, not great, not bad, but more of a shave that only needs to last the day. The blade gap is almost non existent, so the shave is incredibly smooth, but definitely won't give you the BBS shave other razors will.

Thank you for the education. We are not traveling now for a couple of reasons. Even when we traveled more regularly, space was never so limited that a short razor handle would have been necessary.

 

[Sonarsessions]

Holy crap that Travalong is cool!

I have 2 razors that I love to travel with. 1 is my Gillette Tuckaway, the other is a Travalong from the 1950's. The Gillette is a typical 3 piece open comb razor set, has some weight to it.

The Travalong is where it's at! Aluminum build, it's the size of a pack of razorblades and it folds into itself, much like a transformer toy from the 1980's, just not as frustrating. IMO it's the most compact razor ever built.

The reason I love this one so much, is that it doesn't require a travel case or for me to pack razors, the blades fit in the handle of the razor and is its own travel case. The only issue is that it can get easily lost in my Dopp kit, due to its diminutive size. The shave is good too, not great, not bad, but more of a shave that only needs to last the day. The blade gap is almost non existent, so the shave is incredibly smooth, but definitely won't give you the BBS shave other razors will.

 

[THall]

Thank you. I had a couple of false attempts. This is actually my third “successful” attempt. The one in the foreground is from 1 1/2 inch PVC and 3/4 inch electrical conduit. The middle razor is made of mild steel parts: 1/2 inch flat bar and 1/8 inch rod with a handle of 3/8 inch steel rod. I can bend the safety bars on the baseplate to make it milder or more aggressive. The one in the background is the aluminum razor shown here, but with the handle of a Merkur 23C. The blade self-aligns on the mild steel razor. The others align by fiddling manually, except I have made a jig for the aluminum razor that aligns the blade and the baseplate for me. I have not used the PVC razor in a long while, but It performs very well.
The easiest of the three for anyone to make is the PVC and conduit razor. Use sandpaper on a board to shape the PVC by dragging the PVC over it with a rolling motion. Shim with plastic electrical tape on top of the PVC where the blade will rest to get the desired aggressiveness and to balance the cut if it is unequal between the sides. Make the pieces a little large and bring them down to size slowly with sandpaper or a file. I never notice the screwhead on the top cap. Lather escapes just fine around the ends of the razor without holes between the safety bars and the center part of the baseplate. View attachment 1134534

very nice sir

 

[CheapShvr]

very nice sir

Thank you. Some guys here make razors that are beautiful. I can do Very functional, but am not good at beautiful.

 

[Ad Astra]

Great job!

I've always felt - without proof - Gillette was just trying to sell us another razor with the travel razor.

How much bulk and weight is a razor handle? Two inches of zamac bar?

Ultralight backpackers wouldn't even complain, IMO, about the difference.

Too, they are so short my fingers suffer. Super-long handles are more fun. Dip/rinse easier.

Brand-new travel techs are available on the bay, I bought a couple for the unused heads - still with the piece of cardboard in them, cheap.


AA

 

[CheapShvr]

Great job!

I've always felt - without proof - Gillette was just trying to sell us another razor with the travel razor.

How much bulk and weight is a razor handle? Two inches of zamac bar?

Ultralight backpackers wouldn't even complain, IMO, about the difference.

Too, they are so short my fingers suffer. Super-long handles are more fun. Dip/rinse easier.

Brand-new travel techs are available on the bay, I bought a couple for the unused heads - still with the piece of cardboard in them, cheap.


AA

Thank you. I see posts in which someone read razor reviews to decide on a new razor, only to find it was a disappointment when it arrived. Making your own means trying the razor, then tweaking it a little. You repeat this process a few times until the razor shaves just the way you want it. If something goes wrong, you make a new part and start tweaking again. But, you do not have a lot of money tied up in a razor that turned out to be a disappointment. You also walk around feeling very smug because you got a great shave from a razor that cost a total of 43 cents at a local hardware store for a stainless steel screw.