Penn State Industries is a supplier of kits and supplies for making lathe-turned items, most notably pens. Last year they finally came out with a safety razor kit. I recently picked up one of the kits and gave it a try, as I wanted to make a razor to keep in my travel bag. To make one of these you need the kit, an acrylic blank of your choice, and of course a lathe and turning tools and abrasives. The kit consists of the razor head, a brass tube that forms the foundation of the handle, and the chromed fittings for the ends of the handle. You drill a hole through the center of the blank and glue in the brass tube. Once set, you trim and square up the ends of the blank, then mount it on a pen-turning mandrel which is then mounted on the lathe. The blank is then turned to whatever profile you choose. Then you smooth it with sandpaper before moving on to special abrasive pads designed for smoothing and polishing acrylic. The blank is then removed from the mandrel and you press in the chromed fittings. The handle Is then screwed into the razor head like any three-piece razor. Now for the not so great part. How does this perform as a razor? A bit disappointing I'm afraid. The head looks roughly similar to an Edwin Jagger DE89, so I was hoping for similar performance. After three shaves, my opinion is mixed. It varied quite a bit, depending on what soap or cream I was using. Overall, it seemed fairly aggressive. Not very smooth at all. With TOBS cream, it was almost acceptable. With soaps, I felt like switching to one of my other razors halfway though the shave. I used an Astra SP blade, by the way. As you can see from the second photo alongside my EJ DE87, the handle is quite a bit longer than the norm. Not really a big deal, and you could always cut the brass tube down to whatever length you'd like. The other thing is, the thread is supposed to be a standard size, but when I tried swapping the handle with the DE87, I felt like I was on the verge of stripping the thread. It can be made to fit though. So, I don't know what I'm going to do with this right now. I'll try a few more shaves.
I wonder if it is threaded for the old American (i.e., Gillette) standard. Might be interesting to see how a Tech head fits.
You've done a great job and you deserve to enjoy it. Please don't force a head onto the handle, it may break causing a total failure. Do you have access to a tap and die kit? I understand many have done better using kits from this supplier http://www.thegoldennib.com/wet-shaving/razor-heads.html. I wish you luck.
Thanks for that suggestion. I've ordered stuff from that site before. I don't think they had safety razor kits the last time I looked, only cartridge types. Must be relatively new. Are there any reviews anywhere? I'm a bit dissapointed in PSI, who I've dealt with for years. I submitted a review on their razor kit a few days ago. It was both complimentary and critical, but definitely a fair review. They still haven't posted it. Not the first time that's happened.
I have also made a safety razor using a Penn State two piece kit. What I have found from using this razor is it seems to shave very much like a Merkur 34C. Now I realize any statement about the performance of a razor really comes down to personal preference and observation. My thought is to measure the distance between the blade and the Guard Bar to possibly have a better way to understand the shaver performance. Hopefully you guys can tell me if I am thinking in the right direction. The Merkur 34C measured 0.024" between the blade and the Guard Bar The PSI 2 piece measured 0.021" Thanks all for your suggestions Gary
I've been trying the razor every day with different soaps and creams, and today with a different blade." - a Gillette Silver Blue. With TOBS cream, it wasn't too bad. I've found I have a tendency to nick myself with this razor. My normal day-to-day razors are an Edwin Jagger DE87 and a Gillette Fatboy set on 6.
Any idea what area of the blade creates the nick for you? Do you have other heads from a different kit you could try on your handle? I also use Gillette Silver Blue blades and the soap I have been using lately is Col. Conk Bayrum. I shave every other day and have had good results. Your PSI razor is a three piece and I am using their two piece. Not sure if that makes any difference. Great discussion!!!!!
Not really sure how I would know what area of the blade is nicking me. PSI two-piece ?? I don't see any in their catalog.
Here is a link to the PSI two piece razor. https://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKRASAF2.html Do you play guitar?
I too have turned many of the PSI razor kits (3 piece and speed-dial) and have been driving myself nuts trying to figure out what they are clones of. Of course, PSI won't say, preferring to say they are made for and to the specifications of PSI... whatever. The 3 piece looks like a dead ringer for the Edwin Jagger DB89 to me, except there are some (fairly sloppy) casting marks on the inside of the head that are lacking on the DB89. As for the speed-dial, I have no idea what to compare it to. I have also done several kits from woodturnerscatalog that have heads that look very similar to the Merkur 47C. Interestingly, these kits aren't pressed into the brass tube, but instead use a threaded rod that runs through the handle and tightens at both ends. This is handy for switching out heads and handles for picky customers or for refinishing a handle that gets worn.
Making a comparison can be difficult as it really comes down to personal experience. With that being said, I find the PSI speed-dial shaves very much like a Merkur 34C. Now if PSI or one of the other makers could come up with an adjustable razor!
