Thread: O-1, 1084, 1095, or what?

I've been considering what steel to use to make my first razor. Right now O-1, 1084 and 1095 are under consideration. I plan on sending the shaped semi-ground blank out for hardening. Which of these would you recommend?

I think any of the three would work fine. I think the more important thing is to just make the razor.

Charlie

Agreed. If your sending it out it does make much of difference.
Have Fun!

If you're not doing the heat-treat yourself then you probably won't notice a difference between the materials.

Have confidence in your heat treater too. These are all simple steels if treated simply. The O-1 has the potential for some other interesting stuff to happen, but that is a little more complicated, requiring good thermal controls.

Leave the edge thick, perhaps the whole blade to some degree. If there is a little warpage there, you have some room to grind it straight afterward.

Originally Posted by Mike Blue

Leave the edge thick, perhaps the whole blade to some degree. If there is a little warpage there, you have some room to grind it straight afterward.

Absolutely everything these guys have said is dead on, especially the part about leaving the steel a little thick before heat treatment. I've used 1095 & o-1 for making a few straights and I couldn't/can't tell much of a difference if at all with how they work, finish, or shave. I too sent mine off for heat treatment...

What I would recommend is asking the person who is going to do your heat treatment which they prefer or know most about...

01 likes a little soak time - some say 20 mins?
I don't know if thats necessary.
1095 requires an accelerated quenchant or brine.
These are only considerations if doing ht yourself otherwise all good choices.
Just be aware if doing own ht to match steel choice to you forge, rule of thumb is simple oven = simple steel.
Some say 01 will rust easily, but that shouldn't be a problem with good care. I think 01 has a nice fine grain suitable for razors also.

01 will offer slightly less chance of distortion in heat-treatment, mainly because the gentler quenching of oil is sufficient to harden it. It would offer greater wear resistance than 1095 if both were in a lower state of hardness, such as a knife, but I doubt if that applies when they are both razor hard.

I think there is only any real point in using brine with 1095 when it is in thick sections. It doesn't matter whether the thick back of a razor has a softer core, but I think we are talking thicker than that.

A-2 air hardening steel is worth looking into, although I don't know if it reaches the hardness required for a razor. It is by far the easiest way for the amateur to obtain distortion-free results himself.

My preference for a razor, if it were available, would be silver steel, or failing that 1095. This is because silver steel actually did make for great advances in mass-produced straight razors, and 1095 is mighty like the steels used then. Even Col. Colt's revolvers got a lot lighter and handier when he imported English silver steel and reduced the cylinder size. Silver steel, unfortunately, is rarely made, and very expensive, in square sections, and I've never heard of it in flats.

Originally Posted by Caledonian

...I think there is only any real point in using brine with 1095 when it is in thick sections. It doesn't matter whether the thick back of a razor has a softer core, but I think we are talking thicker than that.

A-2 air hardening steel is worth looking into, although I don't know if it reaches the hardness required for a razor. It is by far the easiest way for the amateur to obtain distortion-free results himself.

My preference for a razor, if it were available, would be silver steel...

Good insights there. Silver steel is still available in round rod. I've found it as stock for making drill bits. But you're correct about it not being available in flats or bars. Funny enough though, the specifications for silver steel chemistry are within the range specified for O-1. The bits I have in my shop are all 1.2% carbon. It's a delightful material. A2 is another under-rated steel. It's capable of very good hardness. At that peak, it would hone the stone not the other way round.

52100 is an other great steel. Hard to find as flat stock. O-1 is percision ground. 1095 works well, 1084 is good also. If you are wanting a hamon to show W-2 works great.