Thread: Razor dulls fast

That warp should not be a problem as long as you are aware that it is present. If you look at the bottom pic you can see that the edge is fairly even. I can safely assume that that is the edge facing you when you hone, meaning you are "pulling" the razor towards you and that is the edge on the stone. That is a more "natural" feeling and so you have better control and even pressure along the edge. It is when the edge is facing away from you that it becomes an awkward action and so you do not get the even pressure along the edge. You can see that by the way the edge is more pronounced on the heel and toe of the razor. One way to combat that is to use your free hand on the razor to help apply a constant (but light) pressure along the entire edge of the razor as you are "pushing" the razor away from you. If done correctly, that will also help in reducing the effect of the "bow" or "warp" on the edge.

I tried my damnedest to correct for that warp but I just couldn't work around it. I went and purchased a new blade from SRD and asked if it could be fixed by a pro honer. I'll send out this blade for repairs when I hear back unless another pro honer would like to take a stroke at this?

I take it that the bevel was not set properly hence the dulling ? it would just be nice to know if that was the case

Yeah. On the concave side the bevel was clean. The convex side however was not set even before I got the blade. I think I figured out why the blade did not shave when I got it. The previous owner only used it a couple times and it sat around for the most part in a situation that was probably bad for the blade. By the time I got it the blade had degraded and no longer shave ready. Then trying to hone a blade with a bad edge/bevel with a 6K was not something I should have been doing. Then again I thought the edge just needed a refresh so I only have a 6k and 12k stone. Oh well. I'm going to get it repaired and I have my second razor on the way. This time from SRD so it'll have a Lynn edge.

Don't know if this has already been said, but if it's a stainless steel blade, it will lose it's edge quicker than a high carbon blades. That's why when ever you look at like the carbon razors they say stuff like, "high edge retention."

Have not heard that but it is good to know! As far as I know a Dovo Special is carbon steel.

Originally Posted by quicksilver

Don't know if this has already been said, but if it's a stainless steel blade, it will lose it's edge quicker than a high carbon blades. That's why when ever you look at like the carbon razors they say stuff like, "high edge retention."

i thought it was the opposite, stainless blades are harder and take longer to hone but hold there edge better, but i could very easily be wrong, i just seem to remember reading it somewhere on the forum, though it was a year or so ago that i was looking at those threads.

Originally Posted by quicksilver

Don't know if this has already been said, but if it's a stainless steel blade, it will lose it's edge quicker than a high carbon blades. That's why when ever you look at like the carbon razors they say stuff like, "high edge retention."

Not so.

The main difference in carbon and stainless is the addition of nickel. Adding nickel helps them to hold off rust a bit better, but a stainless blade WILL rust too. My guess why we don't see more stainless straight razors is that 1 they are harder to mfg & 2 (I know this) they are a bit trickier to hone as the addition of nickel makes them more resistant to abrasion. The few straights I have that are stainless are wonderful shavers, but it takes a bit longer to dial them in on the stones.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Not so.

The main difference in carbon and stainless is the addition of nickel. Adding nickel helps them to hold off rust a bit better, but a stainless blade WILL rust too. My guess why we don't see more stainless straight razors is that 1 they are harder to mfg & 2 (I know this) they are a bit trickier to hone as the addition of nickel makes them more resistant to abrasion. The few straights I have that are stainless are wonderful shavers, but it takes a bit longer to dial them in on the stones.

Ok so this is how I understand it. And the only reason I'm challenging your comment is because I worked at Nucor for many years as the phys/chem test lab technician. High carbon steel is "carbon steel." Meaning it has a higher amount of carbon making it much harder. Stainless steel is known for it's high amount of chromium which gives it a much more corrosive resistant coating, however because of the lesser amount of carbon, this also means it's a less hard and more malleable steel. This is why keeping and honing an edge to a fine point is easier in high carbon steel over stainless. Now remember, there's also a difference in chromes. Not all razors are going to be nickel-chromium like you mentioned. Some may be polished chromium, nickel plated, or even nickel chromium. But nickel itself does not define "stainless steel." But even then, overall you will have a harder longer lasting edge with high carbon steel. The drawback however is that carbon steel has a higher chance of rusting or accepting iron oxide.

But again, the "difference" i'm talking about is usually very minimal and isn't WAY noticeable. The rust over time is definitely noticeable, and the edge retention would only be noticeable to those who don't hone as often as they should. And to be honest, I prefer stainless steel blades anyway.

I think in the end it is how hard the blade is heat treated to that makes the difference of shave durability. Stainless and high carbon steel can get close in hardness but stainless can't quite get as hard. This is my experience in machining and manufacturing at least. Most steels, stainless or not, are usually not hardened over 45 Rockwell so I am no expert on the steels close to 60 except knowing they are extremely brittle. When it comes to strength though, carbon steel is 15% stronger than most stainless steels even before hardening so that may play as a contributing factor to edge longevity. I will agree though that the chemical makeup of stainless is intended to make it wear resistant as well as oxidation/corrosion resistant. If anyone knows the actual steel ANSI numbers for stainless and carbon steel blades, I can look up the actual numbers for each.