A “heat” is the time it takes for a piece to be hammered from glowing hot, to too cold to hit, and it’s put back to the fire.

The fewer heats you can bang a piece out, the better you are as a blacksmith (bragging rights).

The time between heats are the short periods where your workpiece is in the forge, and your steel gets reaches 1500-2000 degrees, ready for forging (or forge welding).

During a collection of these breaks while razors were heating back up, I finished out this wedding band for a friend.

I’m very grateful for a brief bit of time away with family during my sister’s wedding, and then some very important time with family during the holidays.

After getting back from each of these, I put my head into the shop and crafted to catch up from this time away. Looking back, I’ve been a bit too much of a hermit, and have not posted updates about recent completed work, and I have a stack of emails to catch up on.

Please, if you’ve reached out recently, and I have yet to respond, please touch base again and I can get back to you very quickly. I’m getting through my messages as fast as I can, structuring my day to balance communication and crafting. I don’t want to keep you waiting, so please reach out via email.

Here are a small group of blades that I’ve sent home recently, with many more to come before Christmas, and some soon after.

I’ll be keeping my head in the shop to finish up my work as fast as I can, and be available more through emails, and look forward to catching you up on what’s happening in the shop.

-Christopher

A great week away celebrating my sister’s wedding, and now I’m back in the shop.

A little glimpse into the production of the gold wedding band that I crafted for her husband, with lots of firescale. Looked much more like 14K gold after some polishing and a bath in jeweler’s pickle.

Also, one of the unposted custom blades I finished in somewhat recent time.  Damascus, ox, and a hefty beard chopper.

Catching up on emails today, and working my way back into the craft (back to the grind, literally, and happy for it).

-Christopher

These last months have found me more at the workbench than the computer, and as a result, I’ve been catching up with my queue of custom straight razors. It’s been a good feeling getting blades that I’ve designed with folks home after a long wait.

I try to make each blade a little better than the last, with notes of growth as I go on this lifelong journey as a craftsman.

I’m grinding good steel every day, and glad to hear from the fine folks who are shaving with my steel, or waiting for theirs to arrive.

-Christopher

My new brother got married, and I’m happy to call his wife family.

Took a flight, train, and drive to reach central Pennsylvania, all while carrying a 14″ chef’s knife. I have this condition where after something is done, I look at it  periodically (and neurotically) to ensure it’s safe.

It’s a thicker blade than a Japanese chef’s knife, but thinner than a German chef’s knife. Made entirely from high carbon Hitachi blue #2, hand ground, hafted with African Blackwood and aluminum pins, grip is asymmetrical, with an excellent handshake. Cutting edge shaped with a subtle nod to an itallian herb cutter called a mezzaluna for a nice rocking motion.

Hitachi blue will age and tarnish, and over time this will build into a beautiful and unique patina that protects the steel. I’m sure we can pull out a metaphor for a good marriage from this.

I’m back in the shop, crafting, typing out emails, and my faithful assistant (border collie named Indie) is helping me catch up.

-Christopher

I’ve always been a big fan of Star Wars. Did a little interpretation of the designs within the Imperial Order, and came up with this as an Officer’s Razor.