Turned Razor Kit

I picked up this razor kit recently off of Amazon.com.  It’s actually a Rockler product and it’s a fun little project to complete.  Similar in almost every way to turning a pen; this kit uses a three-inch brass tube insert.  I used my #2 mandrel to turn this.  The kit comes in a brass or chrome look.  I chose a chrome look for mine.  The kit uses Mach 3 Razor blades.

For this razor I chose to use blood wood for the handle.  Hopefully not an ironic choice.  The handle, and really the whole razor looks fantastic.  Rockler also sells separately a nice chrome stand that goes with the razor.  You may want to keep that mind if you want a stand to match your razor.  Unfortunately they don’t have one in brass.

I put links at the bottom of this post where you can find some of the items I used to turn this.

For a little extra help with this project I also put together a video of how I made this below.

Materials & Hardware

• (1) Razor Handle Kit
• (1) Pen Blank

Milling & Assembly

	For this project I chose a blood wood blank.  The brass insert uses a 3″ tube.  I cut mine down to size using my miter saw.  I cut it to a length of 3 – 1/8″
	After getting my blank to the right size I marked the center on the blank.  Then I drilled a hole using a 7mm drill bit.
	I scratched up the razor blank with a 60 grit sand paper.  This is done to help the glue have something to grab onto.  I use fast drying CA glue for my blanks.  It really lives up to its name, you’ll need to work fast.
	After the glue has dried in my blank, I used a barrel trimmer bit to trim up its ends.  I drilled the wood down till it is basically even with the brass tube.
	For turning the blank I used a #2 mandrel and razor kit bushing set.  I also kept the other half of my razor blank(the scrap) to help with loading the mandrel.  I turned the wood primarily using a bowl gauge and skew.  Blood wood is a great wood for turning.
	After turning was finished, I sanded down the handle starting with a 150 grit paper and eventually ending with a 600 grit paper.  I then applied a few coats of EEE-Ultra Shine and then finally sealed it all up with a coat of ShellaWax.
	The assembly was a snap.  I used my pen press to help with inserting the top and bottom piece.  The blade holder screws into the top insert.  The assembly for this kit is quick and painless.

Items I Used to Finish this