Thread: Frameback #3

Originally Posted by Mike Blue

Y Spazola managed to shave successfully for a few weeks at Rc 50, but it would just feel right to heat it up and quench it to get it a little harder.

I used the razor that came out at Rc 50 this morning. It was a bit tuggy, it had about two weeks use since the last refresh. Two weeks seems to be the limit before it needs refreshing. The good news is, that it is easy to refresh. I did 25 on flexcut gold, 50 on boron carbide 1.8, 50 on linen then 50 on plain leather. All of this was on hanging strops. The resulting shave was very smooth.

I know all of this goes against prevailing wisdom, but it works for me. I really like pasted hanging strops. I also like the feel of the 1.8 boron carbide for the final abrasive.

I am not saying that I do not want to improve my heat treating process. I am just saying that the soft deformable blade refreshes easily.

Charlie

Originally Posted by PonderingTurtle

Quite possibly, but it is not soft but hardened to a specific level to start with, I am just not sure if it is hard enough or not.

As my coal forge is likely very much wrong for heat treating it, it would mean buying and building a furnace

As for sodering, you could also preheat the frame so you only have to heat up the thin material of the blade.

It should be quite possible to soder a blade in a frame back.

The blue oxidation from tempering occurs between 550 and 610 degrees F, the Admiral Steel chart for 1095 puts that in the ~Rc 50 to 55 range.

That's too soft for my taste but Charlie reported good shaves from a blade that was in that area, so it might work.

(edit: didn't see that this has already been answered. Oh well, more info never hurts.)

Originally Posted by Russel Baldridge

The blue oxidation from tempering occurs between 550 and 610 degrees F, the Admiral Steel chart for 1095 puts that in the ~Rc 50 to 55 range.

That's too soft for my taste but Charlie reported good shaves from a blade that was in that area, so it might work.

(edit: didn't see that this has already been answered. Oh well, more info never hurts.)

Hmm, so it looks like that if I get around to the project, I will test it at work and see how hard it is before messing around with heat treatment.

As 55 seems to be a bit low, but in the range of many razors, it might work.

Mild hijack drifting warning: Kevin, the steel project is on track. The next big burn will be October. A University crew may show up to help instrument one of the stacks and that would leave me breathless. There are plans for very formal testing of the material this winter. If the material passes those tests, I'll likely start on blade projects soon after.

I can roll steel down to about 0.080. How thin do you need? Most makers don't go that thin unless they are making a filet knife.

Okay back on track: I think Charlies idea of sealing with epoxy is valid and for the reasons, good ones. To dismount the blade only a little heat is necessary and that not enough to spoil the blade. The pins are unnecessary except to index the blade in the right place.

The thing that is most apt about this thread is that creativity has not yet been exhausted in making razors. There are a half dozen different ideas that could be tried. Who knows, that may be the next form of sliced bread.

Originally Posted by Mike Blue

Mild hijack drifting warning: Kevin, the steel project is on track. The next big burn will be October. A University crew may show up to help instrument one of the stacks and that would leave me breathless. There are plans for very formal testing of the material this winter. If the material passes those tests, I'll likely start on blade projects soon after.

I can roll steel down to about 0.080. How thin do you need? Most makers don't go that thin unless they are making a filet knife.

Okay back on track: I think Charlies idea of sealing with epoxy is valid and for the reasons, good ones. To dismount the blade only a little heat is necessary and that not enough to spoil the blade. The pins are unnecessary except to index the blade in the right place.

The thing that is most apt about this thread is that creativity has not yet been exhausted in making razors. There are a half dozen different ideas that could be tried. Who knows, that may be the next form of sliced bread.

Hey Blue, just a little scab big enough to copy cat Charlie's idea. then I'd just have to find someone willing to HT a hamon and motivate myself to cooking up some copper based mokume-gane

excellent job. This is great. I love the contrast between the blade and frame. Great job! Congrats.

Out of curiosity has anyone thought of using a screw to hold in the blade. That way after shaving you pull the blade dry it and the holder, no more worries about corrosion. I recently picked up a frameback that has a lever to hold in the blade, keeps the blade snug but easy to remove.

Bob

Originally Posted by CactusBob

Out of curiosity has anyone thought of using a screw to hold in the blade. That way after shaving you pull the blade dry it and the holder, no more worries about corrosion. I recently picked up a frameback that has a lever to hold in the blade, keeps the blade snug but easy to remove.

Bob

Well the blade is a bit thin to tap well dirrectly, useing a screw to pull the gap closed to hold the blade could work.

In my own thoughts, I would rather have the blade permenantly fixed in place than handle loose razor blades and worry about what the edges will hit and the like(messing up the edge is possible and so is cutting ones self)

BUt as Spazola was having no problem useing an interferance fit to hold it in place the screw would seem unnessacary.

What I was thinking was a screw straight in the front of the holder, like some of the Swedish or French framebacks used. The screw could hit a tang sticking up on the top of the blade, that would push the blade to the back holding it secure.

Bob

Originally Posted by CactusBob

What I was thinking was a screw straight in the front of the holder, like some of the Swedish or French framebacks used. The screw could hit a tang sticking up on the top of the blade, that would push the blade to the back holding it secure.

Bob

It could be made to work.

But I am not sure it is worth it, and while I am thinking of making some framebacks I would not do this, in a large part because you might have serious rust problems at the joint.