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Thread: Can a razor with blown temper be re-hardened?

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    Default Can a razor with blown temper be re-hardened?

    I recently purchased a razor from flea-bay, and it's got a blown temper.... I can flex the toe easily with just pressure from my thumb. Since the blade is all but trash and cost me less than $15, it got me thinking that it could be a candidate for me to give heat treating another try in my backyard coal forge. So.... that brings me back to the question posed in the thread title, can a razor with a blown temper be re-hardened? Would it need to be completely annealed first, or could I just take it back to a dull red glow, quench, and them temper at something around 230 degrees Fahrenheit? I realize that the whole thing could warp once heated, but once again, it's already screwed up.

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    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    For sure it can be rehardend,but a $15 blade,why bother,go for it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by pixelfixed View Post
    For sure it can be rehardend,but a $15 blade,why bother,go for it.
    Why bother? Mainly because it only cost me $15. If I get it right, then I've accomplished something. If I fudge it up, it was already trashed to begin with. Also it gives me a reason to fix up my forge. My fire box is in needed of some work.
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    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    Quote Originally Posted by myersn024 View Post
    Why bother? Mainly because it only cost me $15. If I get it right, then I've accomplished something. If I fudge it up, it was already trashed to begin with. Also it gives me a reason to fix up my forge. My fire box is in needed of some work.
    When you get the forge going,keep us posted, love to see the blade resurected.

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    I used Nakayamas for my house mainaman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by myersn024 View Post
    Why bother? Mainly because it only cost me $15. If I get it right, then I've accomplished something. If I fudge it up, it was already trashed to begin with. Also it gives me a reason to fix up my forge. My fire box is in needed of some work.
    if the blade is full hollow or extra hollow you would be able to flex the steel.
    The one way to tell if the temper is blown is to hone it and see if it will take an edge.
    Re-tempering the blade would require knowing the type of steel and using the correct procedure wouldn't it?
    Stefan

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    Heat it and beat it Bruno's Avatar
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    A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

    A hollow ground razor should be able to flex quite a bit. In fact, if you strop a razor like that with a bit of pressure, you'll see the edge ot the strop pushing a visible bulge in the blade. That doesn't mean there is a problem with the razor.

    A wedge shaped razor can be heat treated again, but then it would need to be re-ground as well.
    A hollow ground razor cannot be heat treated again. It is much too thin. The part near the edge would lose carbon and also crumple like a potato chip.
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    epd
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
    A wedge shaped razor can be heat treated again, but then it would need to be re-ground as well.
    A hollow ground razor cannot be heat treated again. It is much too thin. The part near the edge would lose carbon and also crumple like a potato chip.
    What he said!
    I have to ask, is it a wade and butcher razor? Could you post pics of the flex?
    Eric
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    Quote Originally Posted by mainaman View Post
    if the blade is full hollow or extra hollow you would be able to flex the steel.
    The one way to tell if the temper is blown is to hone it and see if it will take an edge.
    Re-tempering the blade would require knowing the type of steel and using the correct procedure wouldn't it?
    The temper is definitely blown. I've tried honing this razor no less than five times, and it'll end up with a wire edge coming off every stone I've got, Escher, JNAT, what ever... I also did a comparison between it and another of my razors with a similar grind, and while they both flex, this one flexes much more easily. It's not quite as floppy as an aluminum can, but it's not far off either. As for re-hardening it, it's definitely hollow ground, so I guess it'll just go in the trash pile. The scales aren't bad, so I'll definitely hang on to them.

    @epd: no it's isn't a WB. It's a Perfecto that I bought off eBay about two weeks ago.

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    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    Re- cycle bin is a good idea,let her die.

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