Shortening a Straight Razor

[rbscebu]

There is really only one way to shorten the length of a straight razor (SR). Due to the hardness of the steel it has to be ground. Redrilling the pivot pin hole is extremely difficult due to the hardness of the steel.

The problem with grinding is heat. If the steel in a SR gets to just 200°C for a fraction of a second its properties will change, affecting the honing and edge quality. To make matter even more difficult, the SR blade's edge is the thinnest part of the blade and heats the fastest.

I have heard of various mothods tried to grind a SR so as to keep the steel's temperature under 200°C:

• Just grind and stop after a few seconds to let it cook. This works ok on thicker sections of the steel but still overheats the thinner sections.
• Grind with the SR balde resting on ice and still stopping after a few seconds to let the blade cool. This works better than dry grinding but still allows the edge steel to overheat.

The safest way that I have found is the grind with the blade submerged under cold water. This can be done using a Dremel with a flexible extension shaft. The extension shaft keeps the electrics well away from the water and gives you greater control of the attached grinding wheel.

I have used this under water method to change the point style of some of my SR's without any I'll effects. Works well for me.

 

[Nanook]

If you do need to drill, it's best to use a cobalt drill bit, a HSS will do the job though, but not as well. Use a very slow speed with lots of cooling, by using either a cutting fluid, WD-40 or just water.

 

[Substance]

I have repaired many to shorties, as well as removal of chips etc from heal areas,
modifying the end is no different to grinding & polishing a blade face or performing a final grind on a new str8
these type of works are easily repaired with on the belt grinder (even better with speed control), just use short light bursts and dip in water to cool more than grinding time,
grind with edge down (in direction of belt run),
this can be done at pace but even easier with belt speed reduced.
start with a 50 grit to remove bulk material then run through the belt ranges 120, 240, 500, 1000 etc to your preferred finish anything over 1500 with buff & polish to mirror with Tripoli, autosol and chrome polish
if the blades blues temper is shot, so take your time & keep it cool
redrilling a hardened blade sucks big ones with any drill bit