Printable View
Hello. I was wondering what I should pay to have a piece of steel, like 52100 high carbon steel? N.J. Steel Baron has a great selection of steels to choose from. I'm going to buy from them. Should the razor be shaped after or before it is treated? After, right? Thanks.
Btw, where is the best place(s) to buy scale material? I already know about the Duke of Pearl; what a great site.
Moved to "The Forge" where it will get real help :)
Are you asking what you should pay for the steel? Or for heat treament?Quote:
Originally Posted by WILDMAN1
I'm curious as to the choice of alloy. Azom lists the application for 52100 as "AISI 52100 alloy steel is used in bearings in rotating machinery." Is this for a razor? If it is, I'd suggest perhaps investigating alloys more commonly used in the manufacture of razors. I mean, ultimately use whatever you want. Just struck me as an unusual choice. https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6704
Realized I forgot your other question: *final* shaping is after heat treatment.
What you want by the time you're heat treating is a razor-shaped object. I.e. your hole for the pin is drilled, your hollows are (mostly) ground, the tang and tail are in their final shape, if you're putting on a maker's mark, it's there, the toe and heel are in their final shape, etc. *But* you don't grind your final bevel. Leave the edge thicker than it will eventually be (I think 1mm thickness is normal, but absolutely defer to the razor makers out there) as it will likely warp badly during the heat treating process. Then, once it has been hardened, tempered, etc., you go back and put the final bevel on, polish it up, etc.
Check out Charlie's vid below. He has a couple that take you right through the process. Here's one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48IznM5CEYs
bearing steel is actually pretty common for manufacturing of razors..
as for scale material, check out masecraft supply. they have some good stuff, decent prices, and a good reputation for customer service
great to hear your looking to make your first razor! i actually wouldn't mind giving you some material for a set of scales...
i do exactly what charlie does in the video and works very well for me!
I thought this thread was about me. :nj
No, I'm asking what is a reasonable price to pay for getting the blade treated so I can turn it into a razor. The 52100 steel, which is a high carbon steel, was suggested to me by the owner of N.J. Steel Baron FOR MAKING a razor. I asked him which steel he believed would be one of the very best choices for making a razor blade.
I watched the 1 hr video done by Mr. Lewis (he was making a different razor). I watched it after I posted this thread. I feel forced to make my own meat chopper because prices for them have sky-rocketed! I haven't looked through feebay in a while; are they still really high or have they come down to a more reasonable price level? Is the feeding frenzy of 2014-2015 over?
I appreciate it. I would like to first check around on the 'net to see what is out there. I'll keep your nice offer in mind. Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dafonz6987
Not sure you'll get a firm answer on this one. it might be best to ask for good people/companies that might be willing to treat your steel, and then reach out to them directly for pricing...Quote:
Originally Posted by WILDMAN1
As for your bearing steel, I personally believe this is a good choice. although many here have very different preferences. it checks all the boxes though.
Yes. Everyone here has their own preference.
Butzy likes 52100.
Charlie lewis uses 1095 iirc.
Robert Williams uses 1095 a lot
O1 is a common tool steel.
I myself prefer O2 which I think is the best steel for razors (when looking at tool steel. Overall I prefer wootz but that is just my preference)
More important than the choice of steel is good and repeatable heat treatment. That is where the difference is made.
I contract alot of stuff, but only heat treat to stress relieve welded components. As such, my tips are mainly from contracting machining, but the general rules are the same.
From that stand point, there are usually 2 kinds of people. The large well experienced places that will cost more and the mom and pop shops that usually have very good service, cheaper prices, but less experience.
If you ahve a place close enough to drive to, it will eliminate shipping the blades both ways.
Doing a single piece at a time will be a fortune, doing a thousand will be cheap. So if you can get a good lot size, it should reduce the price.
I would also inquire whether the company has done heat treating on the metal you use. This will give them a better baseline to shoot for the hardness you want.
Thanks everyone for your help. I hope I don't need to spend $200. to treat/stress-relieve my razor. That is putting me way over what I was wanting to spend on it. I was hoping to be all in at around $300. maybe? I'll contact Mr. Lewis and ask him for a blank that needs finish grinding/polishing. I guess this is going to be a little more costly. Oh, well. I guess whatever it takes to get it in my bathroom, at a decent price is all I can hope for.
Im not sure how much experience you have making razors or indeed a forge with workshop to do it but the chances of you makeing a shaveable razor first time around seem pretty slim.
Bruno @ Snail Forge at one time used to sell part finished razors that required polishing, scales etc. This might be a more obtainable option.
When someone like MikeBlue told me to use 0-1 or 1095 for my first razor, I listened and went with O-1. I didn't use 1095 until a year or so later. The only other steel I have used for a razor is 0-2, which I got from Bruno as it's not readily available here in the U.S.
That is what I was saying. I want a mostly finished razor, since I am not a blacksmith and have no equipment or desire to forge it/ treat it. Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by markbignosekelly
Ok. Try PM Bruno from post #12, he may or may not be able to help. Here is a thread of his unfinished razors.Quote:
Originally Posted by WILDMAN1
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...de-club-2.html
Why not just buy a razor out if the Buy sell trade section and you won't even spend a hundred dollars if you watch for a good sale.
On the getting one from Charlie. Good luck with that, Charlies work n a razor will cost mire than your wanting to spend, his work is the finest. Tc
yup. this is the 'correct' answer lolQuote:
Originally Posted by tcrideshd
Well, I do understand wanting to make your own razor. Forging, grinding and heat treatment are impossible to do as a one-off if you come in new, but sanding, polishing and making scales are things that are much easier to start with.Quote:
Originally Posted by tcrideshd
Ya but basically he doesn't want to forge a razor he wants it done, so my suggestion is still buy one done, or f it needs to be a one oft custom , buy one done,, but to have it forged,, beat into submission, grind to ready for heat treat, then send it out. And then if he can't forge or heat treat, what are the odds he can temper it?,Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno
Another question, do you shave with a straight now? Cause the end result needs to be usable. Tc
No Steel, if we were talking about you it would be " the Real STEEL! ". TcQuote:
Originally Posted by Steel
I want to buy a custom-made razor that is of my design, pay someone to make a near-ready blade. I can then finish the edge, polish it, put some scales on it and have my very own one-off razor.Quote:
Originally Posted by tcrideshd
All custom razors are the customers design, that's what makes them custom, I have 12 customs, no one else has one just like mine, so pay for an almost finished razor, then finish t yourself but it will cost you the same. The work s done , but you will have to finish grind which is the art of the grinder, then you will need to temper it,, , best to let a man who knows how to build a blade finish it cause screw up and you just wasted a lot of money, but hey it's your money. And if your flush with cash, it won't hurt if you mess up,must order another. Good luck. Tc
I can *totally* understand what you want, and I think it would be fantastic to won a razor that resulted from one's own input in this way.Quote:
Originally Posted by WILDMAN1
But I'm not sure you have a firm grasp of the work involved in making that near-ready blade. If you want it to be an excellent razor, that will demand excellent craftsmanship. Custom razors are not stamped from blanks like a production Dovo. They are forged by hand. They are ground by hand. That will cost. And it should, as you are calling upon the skills and experience of someone who not only can collaborate and advise upon the design of a razor, but also take it to near-completion. As someone who has around 4 years experience as a blacksmith and occasional bladesmith, and as someone who has stepped away from attempting another razor until my own forging skills improve, I can vouch for what goes into the production of a custom razor. And that is, IMHO, something that a customer should not only be aware of, but also willing to pay for.
I may have misunderstood your earlier posts, but it seems you desire something that will be difficult to obtain: a large, custom-made razor, designed to your specs, cheap. That's awesome until the last bit.
Some custom-made razors are of the maker's design. Anywho, I'm talking with a razor maker now. We will be going over what it will look like. He will take it to nearly the end, where all I will have to do is polish it to my desired sheen, put an edge on it and attach my own scales. Thanks for the input everyone.Quote:
Originally Posted by tcrideshd
a Bruno Blade or similar arrangement with a blade maker would be my recommendations based on your requestQuote:
Originally Posted by WILDMAN1
get the blade steel made & semi finished then, do the final fit & details yourself
many of us have started this way it is a great way to get into making customs before the full outlay of equipment or the finished custom pricing
as previously mentioned the Brunoblades club is inspiration
Also in Australia we have a professional heat-treating company that charges about $25AUD pre blade if you want to use them purely for heat treat of your finished blank
Correct, yes, that's what I want to do. Let me know when you are ready to send me a design in my e-mail. You did get it? Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno