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Hardened Rockwell 6S "Eternity"

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Looks like a common Rockwell, doesn't it? But this is a surface hardened version. The normal Rockwell 6S is made from 316l stainless steel which is a rather soft material with a hardness of HV 221. The surface now has a hardness of approximately HV 1200. The difference is astonishing:

 
No, this was a black PVD coated 6S that was sandblasted and then sent to Bodycote to process what they call Kolsterisation, technically bringing carbon into the steel into a soecial gas mix.

It had to be refurbished because the PVD rubbed off.
 
1. No
2. No
3. I don't know because it was a free sample

All measures stay the same, so everything feels the same.
 
View attachment 1263177

View attachment 1263183Looks like a common Rockwell, doesn't it? But this is a surface hardened version. The normal Rockwell 6S is made from 316l stainless steel which is a rather soft material with a hardness of HV 221. The surface now has a hardness of approximately HV 1200. The difference is astonishing:


WOW!
Seems like your great, great, great, great, great grandkids will be using this razor!!

The 6S is a lifetime razor for me. I'll always have it in my den, along with my ATT Windsor and Karve brass & aluminium.
 
No, this was a black PVD coated 6S that was sandblasted and then sent to Bodycote to process what they call Kolsterisation, technically bringing carbon into the steel into a soecial gas mix.

It had to be refurbished because the PVD rubbed off.
Sounds bad-a ready for wartime deployment!

Sent by the Shave Maharaja from his SM-A705GM using Tapatalk
 
WOW!
Seems like your great, great, great, great, great grandkids will be using this razor!!

The 6S is a lifetime razor for me. I'll always have it in my den, along with my ATT Windsor and Karve brass & aluminium.
There had been some issues with the PVD so a search for the most durable solution began while not altering the measurements, so here it is. I have known this process before. German watchmakers like Sinn, DEKLA, Archimede are using it to harden their watch cases. I personally own one of these watches and after some years of hard work it looks like brand new. The colour of the steel gets a little bit darker. Even if I would like to apply a coating like DLC it is perfectly possible because there's no egg shell effect any more. Meaning that parts of the coating will crack because the weak steel reacts in another way than the hard coating e. G. When it falls on the floor.
 
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View attachment 1263177

View attachment 1263183Looks like a common Rockwell, doesn't it? But this is a surface hardened version. The normal Rockwell 6S is made from 316l stainless steel which is a rather soft material with a hardness of HV 221. The surface now has a hardness of approximately HV 1200. The difference is astonishing:


I wish more razor makers would look into these types of finishes. I'm one of the unlucky few who knows the heartache of damaging an expensive collectible.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Be welcome. There are no hardened razors available right now. There are some DLC coated, but there's a good chance that the DLC coating will crack under an impact while being very resistive against abrasives.
 
No, this was a black PVD coated 6S that was sandblasted and then sent to Bodycote to process what they call Kolsterisation, technically bringing carbon into the steel into a soecial gas mix.

It had to be refurbished because the PVD rubbed off.

Yikes! Now you are ready for a nuclear war!! :clap: :clap:
 
Rockwell 6s is made from sintered
316L powder.
It’s density and surface hardness are
lower than billet 316L .

Machining billet 316L ,
especially with low tolerances
-the piece is subjected to higher
levels of work hardening - can
radically affect the surface roughness
of the piece and raise it up to
1500 Vickers ( HV ) .

Thus ,machined 316L razors
-especially those with tight tolerances - have already a surface hardness in
the range 1200-1500 HV .
Thus there’s no actual need for any special coating.

Most coatings ( carburizing ,nitriding & nitrocarburizing ) affect corrosion resistance in negative ways .
They do lower the corrosion resistance
of 316L stainless steel.
It should be noted that sintered 316L has already a lower corrosion resistance than billet 316L .
So applying most of the available
hardening coatings will make
the sintered 316L more
prone to corrosion.
 
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