Quote Originally Posted by mike1011 View Post
I'm no razor making expert but I'd have to agree with jimmyHAD, barring full wedges I think a 65HRC hollow ground blade would just chip/break.

There must be a reason why manufacturers don't temper to that degree of hardness because getting a carbon or stainless (H1 and ZDP189 to name but two stainless steels) would be no problem at all.

Beyond having a really cool name tamahagane steel isn't really very special at all. In fact in its raw form its actually very poor and requires extensive processing by folding to get it into a use able form. In its day it was a pretty impressive feat to be able to produce it, a bit like the ulfbert Viking swords which were made from crucible steel (after the Vikings this type of steel would not be seen again in Europe for 1000 years).

I beleive that tamahagane steel is only made so that the Japanese can keep their old traditions alive and for that I applaud them but by today's standards its nothing special at all, you could order a Bit of steel today for very little money which is capable of reaching 65HRC and over.
Tamahagane is special because it allows you to make a razor at very high hardness with no chipping issues. It takes time to hone correctly but not extraordinarily long time.
I have honed two Western Tamahagane Iwasakis so far and I was more than impressed with the steel. This is really one of those things that one has to try to fully appreciate it.