Business idea for the knife makers and machinists

[Pete123]

We have several knife makers on TGO and I'm sure we also have machinists.  One of my non gun related hobbies is wet shaving, which is using old style razors such as a Gillette double edge or straight razor, whipping up shaving cream with a brush and mug, etc...

I'm hear to tell you, there are a lot of wealthy wet shaving enthusiasts and they spare no expense. Below are some straight razor pics, with a knife thrown in, from a guy in Italy.  There are also pictures of a razor and a link to this guys site. Wolfman is a machinist in the day time.  He makes double edged razors which are pictured below.  They sell for $500 and the waiting list is many months long.  His website is wolfmanrazors.com

 

 

 

[Grand Torino]

Ya know I've considered making a straight razor or two from time to time. I'd have to send them all to Willis for a final sharpening though.  Price is relative to not only quality but the maker as well. Well known folks command high dollar for everything they make and rightly so. Many have been at it for 20-30 years or more and made it a business...their life's work.

The longer you do things like this the better you get...learn to refine your skills....aaaand.....spent the money on every tool under the sun to speed up production and make things more efficient and easier unlike the back yard hobbyist that has enough to get by. 

I wish I'd started doing this 40 years ago....

[Pete123]

If you can turn out straight razors comparable to the quality of what you post here you could pick up a very good following quickly.

The wet shaving community is different than the gun community.  They embrace small businesses that make things, which they call artisans.  

Example, I can buy  2.5 lbs of quality shaving soap for about $40.  The artisans come out with soap that costs about $20 for four ounces.  If it is good soap, the artisans can't make enough.

Check out the price points on the razors from Classic Shaving.  They are one of the best respected straight razor companies.

If you, or any of the knife makers on TGO, get on one of the shaving forums, they'll tell you exactly what they want.  You could make one and ship it around to the folks on the forum, then make improvements they suggest and the next thing you know you'll be getting $500 per razor with a months long waiting list.

These folks buy and sell $200 or $250 shaving brushes like you wouldn't believe.

http://www.classicshaving.com/razors/straight-razors.html?p=1

[RED333]

I knew it was a good idea to grow a beard.

[hipower]

That first and 3rd pic of the straight razors is amazing!

And I've said it often enough before about Damascus this is no surprise...that Damascus blade in the #2 pic sets my heart a beatin' heavily.

[Raoul]

I sorta lust after that bronze double edge myself.

Much nicer than my Mercur.

[Pete123]

16 minutes ago, Raoul said:

I sorta lust after that bronze double edge myself.

Much nicer than my Mercur.

ohhhhh, another wet shaver in the crowd.

[Randall53]

I wet shave with a $30 stainless razor I've had for years that takes the old double edge blades. They actually shave much closer, cheaper and easier than the 2, 3, 4 bladed plastic jobs. How many blades are they up to now anyway LOL?  A package of 10 double edge blades are around $6 or so and last a long time. 

[Pete123]

Absolutely, the multi blade cartridges were not an improvement in shaving. They are faster and easier to keep from nicking yourself and any benefit from them ends there.  

Wet shaving is closer, with less razor burn and irritation.  While there are plenty of expensive products, a $35 razor, with 100 blades for $20 and $20 dollars worth of shaving soap with a $10 brush will last a very, very long time.