how is a blade is forged?

[drfong]

I've always believed, if you're going to get something - get something of quality.
Don't bother with something that won't last.
More often that not, you also see the workmanship in something of quality, and the price reflects it.


I was hoping someone could share - how a blade for a straight razor is made?
Are they folded and folded to give it strength?


I'm looking at a Wade and Butcher restored straight.

Understanding where the blade came from, what restorations it has gone(stresses) - might give me some idea on the long jeopardy of the blade (pass it down to my kids, their kids, their kids).

Appreciate your knowledge.

 

[hig789]

The folded and folded blades are usually Damascus. I beleive that many straights are ground out of a solid piece of flat bar.

 

[BakerAndBadger]

Hi,

If you check out the forum I think someone recently posted a link for the 'how it's made' show on the Discovery Channel, apparently they recently did straight razors. If I can find it I'll post it here for you.

Cheers,

Paul

 

[BakerAndBadger]

Found it:

http://science.discovery.com/videos/how-its-made-straight-razor.html

 

[Doc226]

See above.

A properly cared for razor will last many lifetimes.

 

[BakerAndBadger]

Damn that clinical doctor, he beat me to getting the right link up!

 

[Doc226]

Damn that clinical doctor, he beat me to getting the right link up!

You beat me. Hahaha.

 

[BakerAndBadger]

You beat me. Hahaha.

Yes but no, I had to edit the link as it wasn't working!!!! But no one but you and I know that.

Oh sh!te, now I've let the cat out of the bag.

 

[Kavik79]

That link was a fun video to see, but it only covers one method. Blades can be cast, stamped, hammered and folded, ground from bar stock, I even read something recently about making something similar to damascus by hammering out a braided metal cable

I don't personally know how W&B did theirs, but if you could give more details on the one you're looking at, someone else might be able to say. If it's a well restored oldie, and is properly maintained in the future, it's probably safe to say that if it's held up for the past 100 years there's no reason it shouldn't be able to last 100 more

 

[drfong]

Thanks for the info. Video didnt work for me - probably Aussies aren't allowed!

Damascus I will have to look into a bit more. Looks like Damascus was a type of forging, now its also used as a style of look.

There is a Japanese knife company which folds its steel to get very hard steel and edges - will see if I can find something along those lines.

- I could go with a run of the mill razor... but.. i want something special, something unique.. from blade to scales

 

[Kavik79]

good luck with your search......but if you want a real damascus blade, not just the 'style of look', you better have really deep pockets!

 

[MileMarker60]

Here's the quick and dirty version
Damascus is only a name. You can also look up wootz steel.
I believe it was originally done because there wasn't enough really good steel. So to offset it, they combined really good steel with so-so steel to make more of a "better" steel.
Today, damascus is about the patterns and design of the folded steel. The properties of the steel is no better then that of a single steel billet.
I think the Japanese steel your talking about is a laminated steel. Basically a piece of high carbon / ss steel laminated between a layered mild steel.

 

[Legion]

Yes, Steel was folded back in the old days to kind of "even it up" and knock out some of the impurities from the smelting process. These days, with modern steel it is not really necessary. But as said above, we now do it with what we call "pattern welded steel", which is basically two different sorts of steel smooshed together, and then etched to bring out pretty patterns. Usually only used by custom makers because it is expensive, and sometimes on cheap Pakistani razors trying to look expensive.

Most production razors are stamped out of a sheet of steel, stamped again to sort of hammer out the flaws and align the steel particles, then ground, then heat treated, then sharpened.

The two most important parts, I think, are the steel quality and the heat treat. (This is why GD's can be salvaged. Even though the grinding is often hit and miss, the steel and heat treat are usually OK. This is also the reason why most other cheap modern blades won't take or keep an edge, even if they are ground spot on.)

 

[drfong]

The two most important parts, I think, are the steel quality and the heat treat. (This is why GD's can be salvaged. Even though the grinding is often hit and miss, the steel and heat treat are usually OK. This is also the reason why most other cheap modern blades won't take or keep an edge, even if they are ground spot on.)

I agree with you steel quality and heat treat being most important parts.

Cosmetically I'm not fussed about the look of a blade. A thick wedge, and a blade which keeps a sharp edge is important to me.
I think scales made of earths natural materials (wood, bone, ivory) - makes the straight more "pure"

What is a GD?

 

[Krodor]

Some day I'll get a rattler. Those are ground with the grinding wheels along the blade rather than up and down across the face of the blade. It always intrigued me.

 

[Legion]

I agree with you steel quality and heat treat being most important parts.

Cosmetically I'm not fussed about the look of a blade. A thick wedge, and a blade which keeps a sharp edge is important to me.
I think scales made of earths natural materials (wood, bone, ivory) - makes the straight more "pure"

What is a GD?

Sorry. Gold Dollar. Cheep Chinese razors that some of us like to buy and then "pimp" with our grinders, and such, into usable razors.

Check this thread for what is possible.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/273180-Competition-3

 

[drfong]

One last question... have you ever heard of anyone buying a quality razor only to find that it had imperfections, or cracked in the near future, or scales fell apart.
Which brands?

 

[Legion]

Yes, although it is usually things like warped blades and the like. Dovos sometimes have issues like that, I honed a Henkles a while back that had it. Just make sure if you buy new you get it from someone who will stand by their product and exchange if necessary.

 

[danjared]

I once had (and got a returned) a Dovo that had a crack running down the spine. From the look of it, it seemed to be from folding over the steel.

Anyway, I was under the impression that one of the reasons for folding over the steel, besides removing impurities or changing the carbon content, was to affect the grain structure, particularly to cause the grain size to be more consistent and finer. I'm not a metallurgist or material scientist, though, and the only alloys I ever studied were those of copper.


Oh, and I'd be more concerned about getting a poorly ground custom razor than one from Dovo, TI or Boker. There are exceptions, but most makers of custom razors seem not to be too careful about making their razors adequately symmetrical. Even the worst Dovo I've seen was better ground than a RW I've handled.

 

[Kentos]

I love these threads that give the excuse to show off my razor!