Thread: New Robert Williams Razor

Sweet!!!

I still need to order one....

NICE STEEL. wish I could afford one, have to work on the Treasury.

Here are a few pictures of MY new "R" razor. This is one beautiful razor. The weight, feel, and balance of it is perfection. The scales are the nicest amboyna I've ever seen. The blade goes thru my meager beard smoother than any razor I've ever tried. Do I sound impressed?

Wow, I haven't even got my new Dovo yet and I'm already feeling the need to get another razor now. *sigh* Those are both beautiful..... one day perhaps.

Ant

Wow I want to get one how do I get in contact with him to order one?

Thanks, guys. I'm flattered by all the nice comments. Lynn, I've reworked the grinds to keep the shoulder off the hone to make it more hone-friendly. Tips can be of any style anyone would like. Brush finish, mirror polish - user's preference. I've made them from 4/8 up to 12/8 with grinds from full hollow to full wedge. Lots of handle material options available. Monograms in 1/8" stamping are a no-charge option. You can either PM me or e-mail me at [email protected] if you want to talk about a project. If you want Thunderforged Damascus steel, that's also an option but I feel strongly that the high carbon steels I'm using now are superior.

I'm certainly going to be sending Robert an email one day. Not any time soon, mind you, I need to start saving up.

Robert, or any one else knowledgeable of steels, why do you think that the high carbon steel is better than Damascus? When I first got into straight razors some people made out Damascus steel to be the best, but the past couple of days, I've read from a couple of different people that they are not.

MOST EXCELLENT!!!

Damascus steel was once the only way to make a good, strong steel. It was made from iron ingots smelted and forge welded into a piece large enough to make blade. The old process was much different than the modern process for making Damascus steel. Modern Damascus is really designed for it's artistic impression rather than because it's superior steel. It's still quite good because it's essentially high carbon steel of different alloyed content, but it's not as homogenous, naturally, as a high carbon steel alloyed specifically for one purpose. Additionally, a big problem with Damascus steel for use in razors that isn't a problem at all for knives is hardness and carbon content. Damascus steel must undero a lot of time at very high temperatures during the forge welding process and this decarburizes the steel. The best of it will hit a hardness up to, perhaps, 60 hrc or thereabouts, but most can't get that hard due to decarburization. Until the steel is etched in acid, Damascus looks pretty much like regular high carbon steel, but through the etching, the different layers of steel react differently. Some have a high nickel content and nickel isn't a good blade material. But it reacts well with the acids providing a bright hlighlight as it streaks through layers of the pattern of the welded steel.

It's not that Damascus steel would be totally unsuitable for a razor, it's just that it's not going to be as good as a straight steel in taking and holding a very, very fine edge (fin).

That's my opinion, anyway.

For the best of hard steel with a flexible back, the Japanese method of differential tempering is probably the best. It gives the steel a really beautiful hamon or temper line hovering over the edge of the blade that provides a very nice visual appeal as a byproduct of a very practical and effective clay tempering process. I expect to be try differential heat treating on razors soon both for the aesthetic appeal of the hamon and for a little extra toughness. The Edge of the blade will still be rather fragile, of course, but the entire blade wouldn't be nearly as brittle that way.