Thread: Opinion on a Straight - Decorative or Usable

So, I've been shaving for a while with one of these, and now have 4 straights. The first two, I have to say are from that all popular auction site that we all know. The other 2 are truly shave ready, and from the great members on this site, 1 via classifieds, and 1 direct from a member.

My first one was a RSO, and thus has taken up place in a drawer of random knives, on the lower end of my collection. I have the two that are shave ready and shave daily with one, with the other waiting for honing day of the first, where I will trade them off. Being new to all this I'm waiting a while before attempting honing my good razors.

That brings me to the Last. This is one I am most anxious to use, but still not sure if its merely a display piece or a good usable Razor.

I work with a carbide company and thus have access to a few good metallurgists and their lab, so I brought it to work with me and had it tested on their Rockwell Machine.

The tests showed an average rating of 52.25 in Rockwell C with a high of 58.1, and low of 46.4
From what I have found out this is on the low end of Damascus for hardness. Still Damascus is harder than regular steel.

So, display piece or finish hone and use it?


Details, San Tan Cutlery 1095/15n20 Damascus Steel Straight Razor

BTW, I have tried to shave with it a few times, seems to do better each time I strop it and try, but still not on par with my other razors.

I am going to take a wild guess here and say it is best for opening letters. The hardness seems kind of low. Good Damascus isn't cheap let alone that which is shaped into a straight razor. I am not 100% sure about yours but if you got a 50 or 70 dollar deal razor I would bet against it ever being shave ready.

Pups knows his stuff.. access to Rockwell scale would be pretty nifty.. sounds like the RSO.. what Rockwell point would be acceptable (sorry to hijack)

Like anything else their are opinions but 57 to 62 comes to mind without looking it up and that all depends on the steel. To low and it won't hold an edge. Too high and you'll never get an edge. I always wonder about using Damascus (as it is used in knives) because which metal are you honing and which was picked for the heat treat method. The "n" in 15n20 is nickel. Great for pins :<0)

And thanks Pringr but some one of vast steel knowledge could answer this much better than I. Remember I said " wild guess"

Properly prepared modern Damascus has a Rockwell hardness varying from 53 to 62 depending on the metal layer that you hit. If the blade is made correctly, the bevel should have an RH around 58. Of course, the bevel is so thin that it is hard to test the hardness of it without chipping it.

I'd try honing it and see what happens. If you see metal all over the hone after a single light pass, then it is too soft to hold an edge.

Hone it, strop it, try it. If it shaves well, great. If it doesn't, so be it. Either way you have your answer.

I'll be honest with you & this is only my opinion & you know what they say about opinions. It looks like a lower grade straight razor & you would be better off spending your money on a nice Boker or something more well known. Even an older Sheffield would be good. That's just my opinion though.

Originally Posted by wayne394

Hone it, strop it, try it. If it shaves well, great. If it doesn't, so be it. Either way you have your answer.

Yup. +1. How could you resist trying to hone it anyway?

Originally Posted by Steel

Yup. +1. How could you resist trying to hone it anyway?

Yep, that's really all you can do....................

I don't think hardness is the only important factor, especially for pattern welded steel, but even that seems to vary enormously throughout the razor. Given that the design is atrocious as well (from usability/ergonomics point of view, which should be the first concern for any tool) and the execution is sloppy I'd say chances that it will make a shaver are slim.

You should try it, but I wouldn't recommend spending much time on it. Get proficient with honing on proper razors first and when you have that down try it again to make sure that it's not your honing skills that are the problem.