I made the 2nd razor from this lot of steel. The buyer requested a more classical design this time, more like a Sheffield razor. Truth be told, I am lucky I could make this one at all. Working Antique tamahagane can be challenging. In this case, the nakago was broken from the blade, and not very gently if I am any judge. As a result, one of the sides had started delaminating.
It wasn't visible before, but as soon as I started cleaning the point, I noticed a huge welding flaw. This doesn't necessarily mean it was low quality. Even the best laminated steels can start to delaminate when twisted and bent violently in a cold state. The delam was thankfully on the outside, in the middle between spine and edge. I decided to take a 4" wheel and start grinding inwards to see where the delamination would end.
A minute later I felt a violent clunk, and half the side was torn off. But thankfully it was only a thin piece. The excessive oxidation in the wound told me that the delamination had been there for a long time. The blade was still thick enough and with a bit of creative grinding, I managed to still make the blade I wanted to. It was pretty thick to begin with.
I did the heat treatment today, and since my wife was out with a friend, I snuck into the basement when the kids were sleeping to finish it. This was one of my unfinished blades, so in this state it is going out to be polished and scaled.
Attachment 213381
Attachment 213382