Thread: Yep, you break them...

Did a lot of work on it, sent it off to one of the pro's to heat treat it and tried to "straighten" heat treated 1095. I have now learned that you can't "bend" 1095, especially if you ask the "treater" to push the Hrc to the hardest the steel can be. Now I know...grind out warpage...

You should know better!
That is why you see all the chiped blades out there they fracture instead of bending.
At least the blade was nice and flat.

I am not sure but it may be possible to wrap the blade with a wet rag and silver solder or braze it back together.

Good luck.
Silver2

Ouch!
A sad sight. I'm sorry to see that.

Originally Posted by Silver2

You should know better!
That is why you see all the chiped blades out there they fracture instead of bending.
At least the blade was nice and flat.

I am not sure but it may be possible to wrap the blade with a wet rag and silver solder or braze it back together.

Good luck.
Silver2

Yes, I should know that...but I'm a hardhead sometimes and have to KNOW if it can be done. Now I know...

It's really probably destined for the scrap heap. I may make some sort of scraper out of it...don't know. When I broke it, I walked away & didn't come back to the shop for a week or so. That was going to be a good looker with all the file work and all...

Originally Posted by Silver2

You should know better!
That is why you see all the chiped blades out there they fracture instead of bending.
At least the blade was nice and flat.

I am not sure but it may be possible to wrap the blade with a wet rag and silver solder or braze it back together.

Good luck.
Silver2

Ouch...
+1 on that is why damaged blades are cracked and chipped.

My hindsight thought is that the tang could have been ground
true and the removed steel compensated for with brass
washers between the scales and the pivot point.

Depending on the tool shop kit it may prove quicker to grind a
new blade. If someone had a fine TIG welder it might be possible
to weld the broken bits while keeping the blade cool in water. Then
grind flat and use brass washers to adjust for dimensional loss.

Each time I see someone post results like this I think that
the price we pay for quality razors is a bargain. It is hard
to do correctly, if it was easy a razor would cost $5.

Thanks for sharing.

I have and will use Mike again and Butch...it's according to what steel I am working with and what batches they use. Both of their heat treating is top notch. I knew about the potato chip blade before I even sent it to Mike as well as Mike told me that I could heat the tang on this particular blade to soften it...I was hard headed and even knew it before I broke it that it was about to snap...it's now a nice blade for a leatherworking friend of mine! Do-do happens and as long as you are learning you are doing ok.

I post my work to show others that if I can do it with my limited tools, knowledge, and experience that everyone else can as well. The countless hours and little cash I have been out has all been worth the journey. It's because of guys like Mike and Butch (the other pro's as well) that I even tried this. To have the pleasure of grabbing a razor that "I" made and shave with it is awesome. Once you do make one, you will see why the pro's are getting the prices they are for their blades...even with the tools that they have I'm sure that they aren't even making fair wages after time, material, and wear-n-tear on said equipment is accounted for.

Hello Shooter,

Is there any way you can salvage the blade by turning it into some sort of frameback?

Thanks,
Mike

I couldn't let that good piece of hard steel go to waste...a friend now has a nice specialized "leather knife" for his leatherwork. He's one of those top notch saddle makers and loves it. He just can't get over how well it holds an edge.

Who did you use to heat treat? I was thinking of using Peters until I can afford my own oven. In general I think the pros try and fix minor warping. Really it needs to be done while the blade is still cooling.

Originally Posted by Driften

Who did you use to heat treat? I was thinking of using Peters until I can afford my own oven. In general I think the pros try and fix minor warping. Really it needs to be done while the blade is still cooling.

I've used two. PM mikeblue (mike) or lrharner (butch). These are just a couple guys who do heat treats, pm them and let them know what type of steel you are working with to see if it fits in with any of the batches that they are about to work with. Both are great guys, butch uses fire and mike uses salt IIRC.