I have an interest in knowing just how many people that there are in the whole world have the skill & means to actually grind one of these genuine hollow ground straight razors that we so love to use. Ill start off with some guesses. Ralf Aust - 1 grinder, himself Thiers-Issard - 3 grinders, maybe 4 Wacker Razor - 1+, the current patriarch (semi-retired at about 80) part time, and his son the 4th generation Dovo - maybe 10 grinders Boker - ? Gold Dollar - ? Rasoir Sabre - 1 grinder, Ertan Suer Jerry Stark - is he still active Max Sprecher - 1 grinder, himself Portland razors - 1 grinder, also sells Dovo & Thiers-Issard So ... maybe 30 in the whole world? I’m glad to have had the opportunity to buy some of this stuff in my lifetime. Who do we want to see go out of business, and why?
Shave smith Ali Blades Yuri kravchenko Koraat Osiris Mike Martinez(not active) Sage blades Charlie Lewis(not active but has made returns in the past) Jenes Sandor ALE Razor SnailForge Mike Martinez(not active) Robert Williams(currently inactive but there is still hope) Angelo Murru Herr Razors I’m probably missing a few but this is off the top of my head Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Those that have real skill are the 3-4 that can Regrind Max Young Nate Zowada Brad Maggard and Me If you don't know the real difference it is rather interesting
In Italy we have few: Riccardo Tonarini Emidio D'Astolfo Antonio Farina Angelo Murru * Andrea Brattelli I like these too: Alejo Balbis (Ale Razors) Drew Dick (DoubleD Razors) Gergely Horváth (HG Razor) Marco Lopez (Macu Knives) Roman Kamlash (Raido Star) Sergey Illarionov (Rigarazor) * EDIT: In the last months / year, people are going mad with Angelo Murru. This is a warning.
Riga and Ale are well known now and their grinds are Top Notch many of the Italian guys are members on the FB SRP-Community and show off their works their too They are very artistic
(JS) ?? Jenes Sandor is VERY good his grinding has been and still is in what I consider to be in the top five Technical guys I agree art is subjective, the accuracy of the grind is all math
* EDIT: In the last months / year, people are going mad with Angelo Murru. This is a warning.[/QUOTE] I have an order pending from A Murru!
Any of you grinders use a Hexe (or similar dual wheel grinder) for hollow grinding? @gssixgun @Snailforge Edit: this is what I imagine most razor makers use these days.
I know that Portland Razor Co can make some fine blades, but using the belt sander looks like it heats the blade up pretty fast. The Wackers method, and I'm sure most of the older manufacturers use this method, looks like it would the better method. Using a dual wheel looks like it would be easier for getting Extra Hollow grinds, and less of a chance of you overheating the blade and losing the temper. The dual wheel machine is probably faster too.
In 1893 a machine was created in Germany called the Hexe, developed by Carl Friedrich Ern which was a double hollow grinder (both sides of the razor at once) Only then did it become possible to get the extremely thin and hollow razors that are still produced today (wheels as small as 2 inches in diameter). It didn't make it "easier" to get extra hollow grinds... it made extra hollow grinds possible. They didn't exist before that machine was invented. There's a few other inventions that revolutionized straight razor making around the turn of the century, but the invention of the Hexe created the modern straight razor. That's not to say that a very skilled blade maker couldn't do an extra hollow grind on a blade with a belt sander, but it would be very difficult.
Here's a thread talking about it, or one like it. https://sharprazorpalace.com/workshop/77155-machines-straight-razor-production.html I would think it would be relatively inexpensive to have one made, especially if you had a broken lathe or other machine shop tools to rob for parts. The multiple grinding wheels are going to be the expensive bit. And OSHA would lose their minds.
Very cool machine. It would be interesting to know if they are still made, or found on the market anymore. .
https://knifemaking.com/products/js...r2MHp5rZ4cat6PDaL_JAuO2qjDaZbz_oaAklSEALw_wcB And https://www.primedge.com/products-services/sharpening-systems/hollow-grinders/ are all I've really been able to find. I'm sure there's some vintage machines out there, probably quite a few in Britain, Europe, and maybe somewhere in New York, Chicago, and Philly.
