Thread: Blue Steel?

Oldie that I just got around to putting an edge on, and I don't know anything about it. Black (plastic?) handles, 6/8 hollow grind semi-singing, brushed finish, square tip. The only marking on it is one side of the tang BLUE STEEL in caps. Nothing else. It shaves fantastic though. First shave, so I don't know how well the steel will hold an edge, but so far I'm very pleased! Anybody know more about it?

Originally Posted by threeputt

Oldie that I just got around to putting an edge on, and I don't know anything about it. Black (plastic?) handles, 6/8 hollow grind semi-singing, brushed finish, square tip. The only marking on it is one side of the tang BLUE STEEL in caps. Nothing else. It shaves fantastic though. First shave, so I don't know how well the steel will hold an edge, but so far I'm very pleased! Anybody know more about it?

"Blue Steel" was yet another in an endless series of advertising schemes. Basically is means nothing special. (Gun) Blued-steel had a modicum of merit in that it was a corrosion preventative measure. Unfortunately, "bluing" is a surface treatment that will abrade-away with normal honing. The razors that survive today with bluing in their factory-ready condition are ones like the C-MON Blackie, where just the tang and back were blued.

Thanks for the reply David, and I understand the process of blueing. It looks to never have been blued, unless someone with a very deft touch refinished it at some point. What I am really trying to find out it's origins. Do you have any idea who made this razor, about when, and where from? It is odd that it only has the one marking. No Solingen, Sheffield, not even Pakistan!