Cheap Steel

[Doc226]

I got this razor to hone for a member a little while back, he was having trouble getting an edge on it.

When I got the razor I knew why, my suspicion was cheap steel. I was able to get the razor to pass the HHT but I knew it was not going to be good.

The member confirmed this and I offered to hone a different razor in exchange for this razor to experiment on.

Close up of the blade looks like cheap printing

I put it to the torture test

Video of the tang being bent-no problem

 

[Doc226]

It actually did better than I thought, but you can see the blade bend before it broke.

 

[inspiringK]

I'm not sure I can understand the tests without a basis for comparison. Would you mind doing the same tests with one of your good razors so that I can see the difference

 

[Doc226]

I'm not sure I can understand the tests without a basis for comparison. Would you mind doing the same tests with one of your good razors so that I can see the difference

Sure right after I am done with the TI testing, that one will be next. As anyone can that has dropped a razor can vouch, they shatter. There should not be any bending.

I think the bending on the tang would be fine, not so on the blade.

They are rigid and there is no bend, they just snap.

 

[Obiwan]

1.) You're a nut Doc
2.) I hope you had 6 pairs of goggles on for this test.

 

[Seraphim]

I'm not sure I can understand the tests without a basis for comparison. Would you mind doing the same tests with one of your good razors so that I can see the difference

Doc will be faucet testing his TI very soon....

 

[Doc226]

1.) You're a nut Doc
2.) I hope you had 6 pairs of goggles on for this test.

Just a full face face shield

Doc will be faucet testing his TI very soon....

Not a chance

 

[Dacol]

Maybe it had bad heat treatment.

 

[Doc226]

Maybe it had bad heat treatment.

Looking at the stamp, looks like a cheapy blade

 

[Dacol]

It probably was!

 

[MileMarker60]

If you still have a razor, take a close-up pic of the broken spine (looking straight on at the brake)
It would be interesting to see what the grain looks like

 

[Doc226]

If you still have a razor, take a close-up pic of the broken spine (looking straight on at the brake)
It would be interesting to see what the grain looks like

Will do that tomorrow.

 

[inspiringK]

Sure right after I am done with the TI testing, that one will be next. As anyone can that has dropped a razor can vouch, they shatter. There should not be any bending.

I think the bending on the tang would be fine, not so on the blade.

They are rigid and there is no bend, they just snap.

I know they are brittle and can chip easily. Having been fortunate enough to never experience this, I assumed that would be more true near the edge where the metal is thinner. So, you expect that the blade on a better razor would have little to no bend when put through the same strain?

My thoughts, (finally finding some use for that one geology course I took) the same razor that is dropped and shatters may actually bend when put in the vice. The difference being between the rate at which force is applied. In geology, this is referred to as the difference between brittle and ductile deformation - the same material will respond differently depending on the conditions under which force is applied. Of course, this is in reference to rocks that experience force over the course of millions of years and are deep underground, I don't have a cooking clue whether the same rules apply in razors.

 

[Doc226]

I know they are brittle and can chip easily. Having been fortunate enough to never experience this, I assumed that would be more true near the edge where the metal is thinner. So, you expect that the blade on a better razor would have little to no bend when put through the same strain?

My thoughts, (finally finding some use for that one geology course I took) the same razor that is dropped and shatters may actually bend when put in the vice. The difference being between the rate at which force is applied. In geology, this is referred to as the difference between brittle and ductile deformation - the same material will respond differently depending on the conditions under which force is applied. Of course, this is in reference to rocks that experience force over the course of millions of years and are deep underground, I don't have a cooking clue whether the same rules apply in razors.

I will see if I have a blade that is beyond help and do the same procedure to it.

 

[PinoySteel]

Softer steel (lower on the Rockwell scale), so it bends rather than snapping: this could mean it was overheated during factory buffing or user restoration, or just wasn't heat treated properly as previously mentioned.

 

[gimpochin]

Please don't try that w/my W&B Fine india Steel, Yikes!

 

[Puerco]

It could be fun to do that with a $3,- gold dollar #66 just to have something to compare to

 

[Doc226]

Please don't try that w/my W&B Fine india Steel, Yikes!

That's the one I had in mind.

Just kidding

It could be fun to do that with a $3,- gold dollar #66 just to have something to compare to

I did do it this morning to a razor with a chunk missing that I had laying around.

 

[Doc226]

Here is a picture of the broken razor's cross section

 

[Doc226]

Does not look too bad