I will be teaching 2 upcoming classes on making a safety razor. These make great Father’s Day gifts or even just for personal use. Also, I should point out that these are unisex, so they are for everyone. The first one is will be standard wood handled razors on June 5, and the 2nd will be using acrylic on June 10th. For $15 you will walk away with a nice, high quality razor, 1 razor blade to get started, and a handout on use and care of your razor. Hope to see you there!
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Very cool. What size drill / bushings do these require?
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It uses a 7mm drill and the bushings are specific to the razor but I believe the outside diameter is .530.
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The class looks great, my problem is how accesible are replacement blades and simple to put on for this? I obviously know little of the razor world since I’ve owned the same bic multi pack plastic razors for 8(?) Years now. Dad’s a truck driver so space and shopping options are limited and I’d rather not take up class space for something that’s gonna be an “it’s the thought that counts” gift lol
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Safety blades can be purchased online or at pretty much any store that sells bath products.even Target carries them.
Replacing the blade is as simple as unscrewing the head from the handle. Then switching the blade. It really is that simple.
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Safety razors are actually quite convenient because you just carry 1 of the bulky handle assembly, and you can fit 100 blades (that’s 200 shaves if you use a new edge each time, which most folks don’t) in a 1" box. Last I knew, too, as Webdevel says, you can get replacement blades in virtually any corner store.
I think Jorge and Andrew pretty much nailed it, but I did want to say that part of the class was going to be “care and feeding” of your razor. I have a 1 page handout that is completely full of useful information about the history of safety razors, shaving techniques, care-cleaning, and sourcing blades and other shaving accoutrement. I figured that would be a good use of our time while we wait for the brass barrel glue to finish drying. I tend to get about 4 shaves out of a single blade so I will use about 2-3 blades a month which means a 100 pack (typically $15) will last me 3 years.
So to re-answer your question, they are super easy to install, fairly accessible at supermarkets and drugstores, and they dont take up much space at all.
Ebay is also a good resource for blades. I tend to get mine off there because my favorite blades are Russian made Voskhods.
Fun Fact- Russia manufactures more safety razor blades than any other country.
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What if we haven’t taken the basic lathe class yet? I’m actually signed up to take the very next day haha.
Thanks for the info @Webdevel @jast and @Lordrook, I did do an obligatory Google search beforehand and I just wanted to confirm more than ask what sounds like a blatantly lazy question. I saw a few razor bodies required screw drivers and my retail experience makes me not trust any inventory listing on a big box website lol. I didn’t expect such detailed replies haha
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Once upon a time, many bathrooms had a mirror which flipped open to reveal a medicine cabinet. On the back wall of the cabinet is a slot for “disposal” of safety razor blades.
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As I recall they usually fell down behind the drywall - it would take forever to fill that up. But good luck emptying it.
Russell Ward
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Yep, I remodeled my sisters bathroom (1950’s house), the wall behind the sink was loaded with safety razor blades.
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This is true, and very dangerous for remodeling.
The Lathe 101 class is required. But fear not, I will have a few more of these in the future.
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FYI- there is 1 more spot open for tomorrows class.
Zero mas mas mas mas mas
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Astra. $10 for 100. That is years of Wonderful blades.
Differences in Safety Razors are the angle of cut. It defines how aggressive the cut is. There are some adjustable ones. I have only used Merkur, and have been happy.
That said, of all the razor reviews I have read (and that a lot), the angle is rarely mentioned. Think of it more of a fine tuning on a great instrument.
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