Damascus straights?
- Thread starter Ivanstein
- Start date
Well, there can be a few benefits. Honestly, though, Thats a complicated answer! The Real Damascus Steel recipe has been lost for several hundred years. The famed Damascus steel you read about from days past is gone. However, Modern bladesmiths have found a way to duplicate the looks and patterns of Damascus. What you get when you purchase modern damascus is a blend of metals. Which, when done correctly, makes the final product stronger, more durable, more flexible, and it will hold a nice edge for longer periods of time. The recipe I listed earlier is for basic knife steel damascus, and I would not use it for razor making. There are better steels for that purpose. With that reason, the recipe would need to change. I do not know that one off the top of my head, but I can remember I use 5160, 1095, 15n20, and Ball Bearing steel(cant remember the number). The process is the same however. A craftsman bladesmith, and a guy that calls himself a bladesmith are two very different things. So buyer beware. I wasnt trying to make the point that there "Arent any free ride" or anything, but yea, its true. When it comes to things like this, You will Truly get what you pay for.
Cedric Christ and Tim Zowada are both amazing artists and craftsman. I have met them both at different trade shows, and the like. Great guys too. If you want to purchase a razor from a real Blade Smith and Craftsman, they are the guys I would recommend. There are a few more of Course, but since they were already mentioned, I thought I would toss my .02 into the mix.
I watched a YouTube video of Maestro Livi creating a San Mai? Damascus razor. it was quite interesting to watch, even with the subtitles
If you enjoyed that, check out this guy. He does nto forge his own steel, however, but it gives you a real idea of what it takes to make it. His friend forges the damascus billet, and he takes the raw billet and makes a nice razor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvFO3TqhDj0
watched the video. pretty cool stuff, although I'd love to see that razor with a jumped thumb notch, and highly polished scales against that textured blade
On the vintage side, there is a great frameback with Damascus blade made by Fontenille (Thiers).
stunningAs long as we are talking Damascus here is one of mine. HHH Barbwire from our very own Vendor Jerry Stark.
6/8
Chevalier style blade
Streaked Buffalo Horn scales
He did a fantastic job. I bet that thing holds an amazing edge. You can tell when a craftsman knows what they are doing, when you look at something like this, and the lines are all just right. Making something functional is the easy part, but making it look like that, is a whole different ball game.As long as we are talking Damascus here is one of mine. HHH Barbwire from our very own Vendor Jerry Stark.
6/8
Chevalier style blade
Streaked Buffalo Horn scales
With all this Damascus talk it's putting me in the mood to start looking to add one to my lineup.
Go for it. They a certainly nice pieces of work. Once this Fall hunting season slows down, Im going to start making me one. I quit doing projects for myself a long time ago. Everytime, I would make something for myself, I would throw all of the bells and whistles I could into it, then someone would come along and want to buy it, and have a heart attack when i gave them the price lol. But, I think Ill make an exception to this one, since I already have some damascus left over that would be plenty big enough to make a nice razor out of.
I just need to do some research and find a quality produced one, I know Mastro Livi and Wacker both produce them but have never seen either in person but I am sure their are others that produce them as well.
i lover my Wacker!
Attachments
I love mine too, maybe too much. If I would of known then about the shelf life I probably would of gone about things much differently, but anyways
wait, what
Wacker razors, OH! got it, got it. My apologies. Disregard that last transmission. Sorry for the interruption, please continue.
~Royce
~Royce
This one of my 500 layer hand forged San Mai Damascus razors from Cedric Christ, I sent him some detailed drawings and measurements of one of my favourite razors my HoshiTombo 8000, he created a exact clone only using San Mai Damascus.
Wow I need one of those!
I have been watching this thread for a while and though, as a vendor and maker on here I do not get involved in the daily discussions, I may have something to add to this one.
Is Damascus steel better? Better than what? The steel that Dovo or Gold Dollar uses? Or the steel that Tim Zowada or Brian Brown or even I would use? The answer to that is what performance are you looking for, softer steel that dulls easily but can be resharpened quickly or something that holds an edge for several shaves. There is no absolute answer to that question.
The bigger question is how was the Damascus made, what materials went into it and how was it heat treated and tempered? In my unsubstantiated opinion, a shaving razor Damascus needs to be at least 80% carbon steel, and the right carbon steel. The stainless steel in the billet is strictly for looks and should not be enough to affect the shave.
How was it heat treated? These blades need to be heat treated and tempered for the carbon steel, not the stainless. As jmcdaniel0 might tell you, a knife maker probably wants a stainless dominate blade but a razor maker wants a carbon dominate blade. If the blade is heat treated for the stainless then the carbon steel, the shaving part, will not be properly heat treated. The process is very different for the two steels.
Damascus steel, properly made and heat treated can make a great razor. But only the shaver can tell you if it is sharper or more comfortable than a plain steel. I believe the biggest factor is the shaping of the blade, the depth of the grind and of course the operator of the tool.
Several have mentioned pricing. Properly made Damascus steel razors will not be in the $80.00 range. Each maker has his own price but I don't believe any good Damascus is sold for less than $500.00.
Just my two cents.
Is Damascus steel better? Better than what? The steel that Dovo or Gold Dollar uses? Or the steel that Tim Zowada or Brian Brown or even I would use? The answer to that is what performance are you looking for, softer steel that dulls easily but can be resharpened quickly or something that holds an edge for several shaves. There is no absolute answer to that question.
The bigger question is how was the Damascus made, what materials went into it and how was it heat treated and tempered? In my unsubstantiated opinion, a shaving razor Damascus needs to be at least 80% carbon steel, and the right carbon steel. The stainless steel in the billet is strictly for looks and should not be enough to affect the shave.
How was it heat treated? These blades need to be heat treated and tempered for the carbon steel, not the stainless. As jmcdaniel0 might tell you, a knife maker probably wants a stainless dominate blade but a razor maker wants a carbon dominate blade. If the blade is heat treated for the stainless then the carbon steel, the shaving part, will not be properly heat treated. The process is very different for the two steels.
Damascus steel, properly made and heat treated can make a great razor. But only the shaver can tell you if it is sharper or more comfortable than a plain steel. I believe the biggest factor is the shaping of the blade, the depth of the grind and of course the operator of the tool.
Several have mentioned pricing. Properly made Damascus steel razors will not be in the $80.00 range. Each maker has his own price but I don't believe any good Damascus is sold for less than $500.00.
Just my two cents.
Thank you for adding to this Jerry...its nice to see the input from artisans such as yourself and the others
