Thread: Re-using Sheffield Steel?

Hi,

before I started making razors I had specialized on making kitchenknives from self alloyed and casted steel. So I have a lot of experience with melting and casting steel. It would be easy (with the corresponding equipement) to melt the old razors, but it wouldn´t be "Sheffield" steel anymore after this process. Because you must add aluminum and glas to the steel which act as protection against oxidation, but at the same time also purify the steel. Further the crucibles have always a high carbon content which will enhance the carbon content of the resulting steel. So if you start with a steel with about 1% Carbon, you will end with about 1,2%.
The result will be a good carbon steel, but no longer sheffield steel.
Pattern welding would be tricky too for the reasons Bruno mentioned above.
It´s possible, but you would need to forgeweld it many many times in order to get a homogene material (similar to the process used by japanese swordsmiths to refine the tamahagane steel)
This is a project for someone with much ambition and time or someone with a lot of money to have this made as a custom order.

best regards,
Ulrik