Thread: If you were going to make a production razor...

Originally Posted by JDM61

I have never heard of 52100 or AEB-L being ghastly to finish. As for kitchen knives, what use is one that doesn't have a thin edge? Most people that i have run across heat treat them before grinding because you don't run nearly the risk of a large piece of steel that thin warping in the quench. Sure if you want a VERY thick edge. like .02 inch, you could grind before HT, but who wants that? How thick do you leave the edge on razors when you grind them before HT?

You are also not taking into account that grinding a kitchen knife thinner against a flat platen is a lot easier than hollow grinding a razor thinner.

Case in point my 10 year old daughter made a decent kitchen knife in aeb at her first try. Hollow grinding a razor and making sure everything aligns properly is a whole different kettle of fish.

Really? I find that grinding again a flat platen is not all that "easy". Heat buildup and "belt bump" with finer grit belts is more of a problem. As for kitchen knives I have never made one that was totally flat, They all had at least two flat "facets" that were blended and a convexed section near the edge. Some had a VERY shallow hollow running lengthwise down the blade that was blended into the two flats to the point of being invisible to the eye. As a lot of that blending is done by and with EDM stones and paper, I suspect that the time involved is a lot more than any razor. In my experience, one of the most significant the time that it takes to finish any cutting instrument is the size/surface area of the blade. Just out of curiosity, have you tried 52100 since you bought a proper heat treating setup? You might want to give it as shot at 1475F/800C.

Originally Posted by Bruno

You are also not taking into account that grinding a kitchen knife thinner against a flat platen is a lot easier than hollow grinding a razor thinner.

Originally Posted by JDM61

Really? I find that grinding again a flat platen is not all that "easy". Heat buildup and "belt bump" with finer grit belts is more of a problem. As for kitchen knives I have never made one that was totally flat, They all had at least two flat "facets" that were blended and a convexed section near the edge. Some had a VERY shallow hollow running lengthwise down the blade that was blended into the two flats to the point of being invisible to the eye. As a lot of that blending is done by and with EDM stones and paper, I suspect that the time involved is a lot more than any razor. In my experience, one of the most significant the time that it takes to finish any cutting instrument is the size/surface area of the blade. Just out of curiosity, have you tried 52100 since you bought a proper heat treating setup? You might want to give it as shot at 1475F/800C.

Have you made a razor? I looked and saw one picture of a knife. It looked good. Until I see a razor I will be on Bruno"s side.

My razors take longer to grind than my knives as well, unless it's smaller knife like a paring knife. Knives are easy, razors on the other hand can get "interesting" and there is less room for "oops".

I don't think I would try to mass produce a US made straight razor. I would make custom razors that I can make money on. I find I prefer vintage razors to the new ones I have tried. I don't know why that is but they just "FEEL" better to me. Also when I can buy a great vintage blade for $10.00 to $30.00 Why spend over $100.00 for a new one?

It's the SLAW!