Thread: Iwasaki Tamahagane restore

This is a collector's razor that I had the great pleasure of working on & discovering its hidden beauty.
According to my photo dates I started this one in April & finished June 2010.
I haven't posted many resto's since as honestly this one has left me a little jaded.
For me it was a bit like catching that trophy trout or big wave that no others can equal but I'll get over it
Yeah I know there are great modern steels around that might compare but there's another dimension to tamahagane worked by a master like Iwasaki san that is unmatched IMHO.

Originally the owner didn't want any photos on the net but I recently suggested things of beauty should be shared with others.
He reluctantly agreed but requested to remain anonymous so here she is ~ my favorite resto ever

At the centre of the box in the before pics is a stamp showing HV 860. This is a hardness rating on the Vickers scale which corresponds to about 66 HRC !
Yes it is hard steel & took some work, however I would like to point out that the forging is so perfect that the blade edge will deflect & return like the best spring steel. It is not brittle in any sense but tough as they come. Also at no stage of the honing process , starting from 500 Shapton GS, did I ever see a single microchip in the edge. I regularly use a loupe to check my work.
Honing & testing was a long process but I was lucky to have some J-nats on hand I was testing for a mate. I found a very fast cutter amongst them & also resorted to the 0.5 µm diamond spray on the spyderco trick. Even while it was not quite shave ready the smoothness of the steel against skin was always uber comfortable & it was always a close shave. I would very much like to own a mint one of these ... or maybe just the means to afford one

I tried using my usual process of restoration but in the final stages there was a mottling in the steel that would not give me an even polish. As this was a special job I decided to go back to my roots & handsand from 240 grit - 2k grit. By about 600 grit I could see what was developing & was quite excited realising I could finish this off with traditional sword polishing techniques.

I won't go into great detail but the blade was polished with 2 different, small "fingerstones " , then with a paste containing magnetite & uchiko powder & finally the spine area was repolished lightly with a small uchigumori fingerstone. There was some pitting near the toe I could not shift but was not prepared to abrade away any more precious steel.

I'm not sure how it was achieved but there appears to be a very faint, thin, straight hamon near the edge rising up into a darker colour in the body then the more obvious whiter area at the spine but what is really obvious is in the last pic. This steel has been folded into such a homogenous state it is virtually nashi-ji or pear textured.

Well, I'll stop raving on. Hope you enjoy the pics. I left my indoor settings on for a couple of the garden shots. Looked ok I thought

Thats an amazing razor and some great looking work. Well done.

Goodness....

Oz, would you do another? Mine could use your touch.

Nice work Oz,
that is one special looking hamon.

Beautiful work Oz. I think I'd be to nervous to take sandpaper to such a thing of beauty. Very nicely done, and a great descriptive post too. Thanks
Grant

Thanks for making a great save, with no damage to the history. It will last a few more generations now!
Respectfully
~Richard

Wow. Just Wow.