Thread: custom straight?

Originally Posted by FUD

I'm just curious. why call it an 8/8 versus a 1 inch? I've never figured that out.

A man could never admit to having a one inch!

RT

Let's see here, Hockey gear versus SHAVING GEAR; hmm, Shaving Forum, 'use your head boy' get the razor. You know thats what you really 'need'. Again get the razor, you may never have this chance again.

Rex

Originally Posted by rtaylor61

A man could never admit to having a one inch!

RT

hehe, good one...

Go for it if you got the cash....its definetly a piece to be proud of for the rest of your life!! so do it!

I just had a look at the site, those certainly are pretty. I'm curious though: is Damascus steel really a good choice for a straight razor? I would think that the non-uniform nature of the metal would make it harder to keep a straight edge (i.e., it would have a greater tendancy to become serrated, as the layers with different hardness would wear away at a different rate). Can anyone tell me why that's not so?

Now you got ME asking questions .

I understood "damascus" steel to be steel forged and tempered in a fashion first perfected in Damascus and that the steel was so superior that it would shear the opponents sword blade off during battle. (See, Lynn, I WAS listening ).

The damascus steel Maestro uses I think is forged in a specific fashion to provide the cool and unique patterns. There is where I get really fuzzy. I think he does some kind of twisting and turning during forging and then he stamps out the blanks. Either that or he orders it semi-forged or pre-forged. Am I right on this?

Either way, damascus steel supposedly takes longer to wear than other steels though this probably isn't so any more with all the advancements in forging in the century.

If you're going to buy a razor that costs $600.00 plus, how often are you going to be shaving with it? If I ever owned something that beautiful I'd be afraid to even hone it

The first and real damascus blades were forged combinig two types of steel: brittle but hard, and elastic but soft. This type of "layering" gived the best of two worlds: a sword with hard edge, but resistant to breaking. Today, Damasteels are forged from two types of steel, again, but with more cosmetic reasons on mind. After forging (twisting and bending) the blade is etched with acid, and more softer steel "gives" first, resulting in matte finish. BUT, the layering method does another thing: it introduces carbon (from the coal, in the antient times, anyways) between the layers, making it, well, high-carbon steel. I don't know the heating process of todays Damasteels, but if done the old-school way, with wood or coal, the edge holding capabilities may increase with this method of forging.

Nenad

Actually, as I understand it, the original "Damascus" technique is lost to antiquity. There are a number of theories, but nothing authoritative.

Modern Damascus blades are as Superfly said: folding together two (or more) grades of steel, and then acid-etching. And that's where my question comes from. Wouldn't a pattern of soft and hard steel cause the blade to become irregular? It's not a big deal when you're trying to hack someone apart with a sword (indeed, some serration may be advantageous), but for a razor, I'm wondering if it might be a problem.

As I understand the Takeda method, there are two pieces of damascus and a piece of carbon steel is forged in the middle. Pretty cool. I am testing one now as well as one with two different carbons forged with the same process. The Maestro is going to be getting in a few of these to make razors from for sale. Can't wait. Lynn

Galvatron.
You may have already checked out this site but if not check it out:

http://www.damasteel.biz/

I can guarantee that the damasteel is hard and requires some patient honing.