Thread: can this be a razor?

Found out more information. This is a micro grain, high strenght low alloy steel, HSLA.
I don't know all the details, but it is made to be stronger then high carbon steel but 25 to 30% lighter and higher corrosion resistance.
Since it was free I can not go wrong to try. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Thanks for all the input.
Tim

Yup, A1008 a structural steel. It's not a steel meant to take or hold an edge similar to a razor blade's performance. That does not mean you cannot shape a razor from it, but I would expect that you will have to hone it each time you mean to get a "good" shave with it. Call it a practice steel....

Originally Posted by oldblades

Found out more information. This is a micro grain, high strenght low alloy steel, HSLA.
I don't know all the details, but it is made to be stronger then high carbon steel but 25 to 30% lighter and higher corrosion resistance.
Since it was free I can not go wrong to try. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Thanks for all the input.
Tim

Yep go ahead for the hell of it, I would be interested to see this.
Another option, you could make a frameback and insert a suitable blade.

It is unlikley you will be happy with the results.... At all. You can make an artistic piece but you will have to go through special process to get any hardness at all. This is just too far away from any tool or high carbon steels to be of any real value.

High strength and hard are 2 very different concepts. Titainium is fairly soft but VERY tough and of great strength but won't hold an edge... even in a cold hardened state. There is a new Titainium alloy that will start to hold an edge but the extent of its hardness is 50Rc.

For razors what I am reading is 58Rc to 62Rc is what you want.
Do they require the same flexiblilty as some knives do?

Jeff

And. then there was the fellow at work that grabbed O-1 tool steel rod which some wag had placed into his rod case. Talk about hard!!! The weld broke, it was so brittle. That might be a solution to your use of the steel; make a welded edge into about ¼" up from where the edge will be with multiple passes. Some times a similar process is called hard coat welding and used to abrasion proof the surface of mechanical earth moving/digging tools.

And then, you may say to heck with it and buy a good 1095 blank~
Respectfully
~Richard