Spyderco Forums

Every now and then, someone asks Spyderco to make a razor...and so I made a rather organic version in the mid 2000s...

I made this rough as guts razor hoping that Spyderco would take the idea and run with it...

Antique black paper Micarta scales, VG10 steel hollow ground on one side... and spare blade, just because...

Spydeco declined...

So it has hung on my workshop wall since maybe 2004/2005...

I thought you might like to see one of my many mistakes...

The TWO holes meant that it could only be called a ROzzOr... :)

And it shaves like it should, even though more than just a tad heavier than a "normal" razor...

Each blade is six inches long, and the BIG holes are 24mm in diameter...
You could use this wearing really thick gloves... :)

The scales are each 5mm thick...




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Thats totally Awesome Stuart, I'd buy one just because....

How hard would it be to get/keep sharp enough to shave with, I've never tried shaving with a straight blade.

This will sharpen with any method that you prefer..
I would use very fine water or oil stones...
A Sharpmaker would be ideal, and then lightly strop...

I use Dialux Blue on a wood backed leather strop about a foot long...

I use a safety razor now, it took a while to get use to but wouldn't go back to a disposable, I imagine it takes a while to get the hang of using a straight blade, may have to give it a try one of these days.

I'll take it!

oops... :o forgot which forum I was on :spyder:

nevermind :p

As to sharpening, I'n not sure this would be suitable as a straight razor. You mention that it could be sharpened on a sharpmaker. From what I understand, straight razors should have less than 40 degrees inclusive. Additionally, Im not sure any of the spyderco stones are suitable for straight razor edge finishing. You regularly hear people going up past 10,000 grit on stones for razors. Usually straight razors are designed to be set flat on a bench stone, using the flat of the blade as a built-in angle guide. The shape/thickness of the spine and the height of the bevel both determine indirectly how the edge geometry will function.

Im no expert on it, but I see this same discussion happen regularly on straight razor/knifemaking forums. I'm sure this would be shave-able, but would be more difficult to maintain than the traditional design.

At any rate, I really love the overall design. I find myself wondering how the holes would work in the different grips I use. I think I would like them just by guessing. Its a great piece of design.

It turned out to be a multi purpose design, as one of my martial friends exclaimed..." A Combat Razor! " :)

As a "true" razor, it might not fit the bill, but as a unique design to stretch my skills, it will do... :)
I have shaved with it, and whilst the edge angle was not as acute as a proper razor, but it shaved none the less...

I sliced some Kevlar cloth when I first made it, and it did just fine...
The spare blade has an ever-so-slightly hawkbill edge, so it would be more dangerous to use on one's face...

Other materials? That would be interesting...

But, as an idea, it was something that I HAD to make to see how it turned out. :)

Stuart Ackerman wrote:It turned out to be a multi purpose design, as one of my martial friends exclaimed..." A Combat Razor! " :)

As a "true" razor, it might not fit the bill, but as a unique design to stretch my skills, it will do... :)
I have shaved with it, and whilst the edge angle was not as acute as a proper razor, but it shaved none the less...

I sliced some Kevlar cloth when I first made it, and it did just fine...
The spare blade has an ever-so-slightly hawkbill edge, so it would be more dangerous to use on one's face...

Other materials? That would be interesting...

But, as an idea, it was something that I HAD to make to see how it turned out. :)

How does it function as a knife? It appears to be a really clean bevel and I bet the handle would be comfortable in use. Sort of a friction folder, but with strength of fixed blade since you are holding onto the tang portion. It looks to me like left-handed single bevel. I know that is a debate in itself (I'm looking at you emerson), but many people seem to like that style.

Left hand bevels are easier for right handed makers to grind... :)

This could be called a razor shaped knife, I guess... ?
I will do a pic of the end of the blade to show the depth of the grind...

Here you go...

So it's a quasi-kamisori-euro-Spydo-straight?

very cool design!

Have you thought about adding a shallow hollow to the back of the blade like a kami' ?

EDC Honeybee wrote:As to sharpening, I'n not sure this would be suitable as a straight razor. You mention that it could be sharpened on a sharpmaker. From what I understand, straight razors should have less than 40 degrees inclusive. Additionally, Im not sure any of the spyderco stones are suitable for straight razor edge finishing. You regularly hear people going up past 10,000 grit on stones for razors. Usually straight razors are designed to be set flat on a bench stone, using the flat of the blade as a built-in angle guide. The shape/thickness of the spine and the height of the bevel both determine indirectly how the edge geometry will function.

Im no expert on it, but I see this same discussion happen regularly on straight razor/knifemaking forums. I'm sure this would be shave-able, but would be more difficult to maintain than the traditional design.

At any rate, I really love the overall design. I find myself wondering how the holes would work in the different grips I use. I think I would like them just by guessing. Its a great piece of design.

I gather that some in the straight world believe that the Spyderco fine and XF bench stones are useful in a straight sharpening progression, but I have no personal experience, just anecdotal stuff off shaving and sharpening forum threads... and I'm too chicken to find out for myself, as the FaTip experience was sketchy enough for me to return to razors that have at least a cursory guard bar (or teeth), there wasn't a bloodbath or anything, but I could feel the potential lurking there :eek:

Stuart I've had a sidebar interest in "Straight Razors" for quite some time now. Not like I do with knives but I still find many of them interesting to say the least. I love your concept of the two holes a lot and I'm now wondering what that bad boy would be worth in USA dollars? I don't think I ever heard of anyone using VG-10 for a straight razor blade before>> or maybe I'm just not up on razors like I am other cutting edged tools?

I've always wondered if Carbon Fiber would make a good straight razor handle or not? Also what do you use to sharpen this blade with? That's a real interesting piece and thanks for sharing it with us. JD :spyder: O

I only made this one as a one-off for Sal to look at...
The work involved was fiddly, as I had to make two blades with BIG holes, and they had to match up with the cut-outs in the scales...

I might make more, but I have other stuff to do first...

To me, a steel is a steel is a steel...
I could have used 420 and being quite happy to use it as a razor...others might have been steel snobs and refused...no worries...

I used VG10, because I has sourced some back in South Africa before I came to NZ...
Most of my razors are a carbon steel, except for a Henckels, which is some unknown stainless steel.

CF would be excellent as scales for a razor, as long as it was good CF with NO voids whatsoever... ( my pet hate! )

Stuart Ackerman wrote:Here you go...

Thanks for the photo. Looks really neat. I know the grinding struggle. I only have done freehand, and it kills me when I get a clean grind on presentation side, then when grinding the back, I am not as clean and end up with mistakes. I need a lot more practice. :P