Nickel-Silver?

[bluefoxicy]

Dovo makes a Nickel-Silver razor I'm envious of in the future.

Nickel-Silver is a shiny metal composed of nickel, copper, and zinc. Samples I've seen for purchase have a Vicker's hardness of around 100-130, more resistant to plastic deformation than carbon steel (55-120). Nickel-Silver is also extremely resistant to corrosion. Some grades of stainless steel can reach a Vicker's hardness of 180....

Anyone have experience with German silver steel razors? Are they worth the corrosion resistance? Do they feel/shave/hone different than carbon and stainless steels?

http://www.straightrazordesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=44&products_id=274

 

[mparker762]

I believe that's a normal high carbon steel razor.

 

[danjared]

That's made out of steel. It's a specific kind of steel but still steel. Nickel-silver is completely different. Also, hardness is not everything when it comes to metals and metal alloys.

 

[dancraig]

I think it is also called "German Silver".

 

[bluefoxicy]

Silver steel is carbon steel. The basic material the blanks are forged from
have a very shiny silver color, hence the name.

Best regards,
Anne Rothstein
DOVO Stahlwaren Bracht GmbH & Co. KG

Ahh damn. Yer right gents.

The metal resists plastic deformation, that should mean the blade won't flex and stretch under stress right? That should mean it'll take a good edge and keep it... plus it's corrosion resistant.

Oh well. Guess if I want one I'll have to get a coffee can and a propane bottle and make one.

 

[danjared]

Ahh damn. Yer right gents.

The metal resists plastic deformation, that should mean the blade won't flex and stretch under stress right? That should mean it'll take a good edge and keep it... plus it's corrosion resistant.

Oh well. Guess if I want one I'll have to get a coffee can and a propane bottle and make one.

Well, not exactly. From my understanding (and I should caution that I am not a metallurgist) hardness tests are only one part of the equation, especially since out of context they can be ambiguously meaningful. While one level of hardness is good for certain steel alloys, it may not be good for another material. Also, materials can also be too brittle, as is found with ceramics (but maybe someone will get this right some day). And the abrasion resistance properties of the material also need consideration. A better measure is probably understanding the crystal structures (also known as dendrite structure in metals and carbide structure within steels) formed within a material, but this is a complicated subject. Nickel-silver if worked right may be good at providing and retaining a keen edge, but hardness tests alone won't tell you that. And I suspect it isn't very good for the purpose since it's only used on butter knives. You could try it, though.

 

[bluefoxicy]

Nickel-silver if worked right may be good at providing and retaining a keen edge, but hardness tests alone won't tell you that. And I suspect it isn't very good for the purpose since it's only used on butter knives.

Huh. Maybe. Ah well, was worth a thought.

 

[holli4pirating]

There is a post somewhere on SRP where someone (I think it was John Crowley, but I could be wrong) asked Herr Wacker a few questions about steel. If I remember correctly, Wacker said that all blanks for current production carbon steel razors use the same steel. Here it is: http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/razors/50862-response-my-questions-heribert-wacker.html

 

[13ALPHA]

That's made out of steel. It's a specific kind of steel but still steel. Nickel-silver is completely different. Also, hardness is not everything when it comes to metals and metal alloys.

He hit that on the nose.

Ahh damn. Yer right gents.

The metal resists plastic deformation, that should mean the blade won't flex and stretch under stress right? That should mean it'll take a good edge and keep it... plus it's corrosion resistant.

Oh well. Guess if I want one I'll have to get a coffee can and a propane bottle and make one.

All metals flex some. Up to a certain point it's all elastic. No metal "resists" plastic deformation, some can take a lot more stress before you get plastic (permenant) deformation along with some elastic that is always there. You just never want to get out of that elastic region unless you want a bent piece of metal.

Metallurgist