Thread: Scalpel vs straight razor

On the right are modern day Blades,the are Carbon steel,they are meant for one time use as they are so sharp they dull quickly.
They are ground with a triple bevel and are very thin at .015,due to being so thin they have a rib back.
On the left is an old time non-disposible, they are near wedge.
When I started working in medicine (early 60s) every hospital had their own lab to do the sharpeng, not only blades but scissors,osteotomes etc.

It looks like that non disposable could use a quick cleaning

Originally Posted by Steel

It looks like that non disposable could use a quick cleaning

Not, thats my epoxy spreading blade.

Originally Posted by mike1011

I remember a discussion on a knife forum about scalpels and more specifically “surgical steel”. It was pointed out that surgical steel isn’t actually that good ! What it does do is take a very fine edge that only has to stay a fine edge for 1 or 2 cuts before its sent to the bin (I’m no surgeon but from what I have seen on TV they don’t seem to be in the habit of making lots of cuts). My guess would be that they are probably sharper / more keen than a razor but would dull way before you would have chance to do a single shave pass !

I'm not sure that is wholly acurate, Mike!

Many early (post 1775 mostly) edged tolmakers makers made both surgical implements and razors. Surgical steel arose as a more enduring form of steel because of the alloys used (nickel was discovered in 1751, moybdenum in 1778, chromium in 1797 and in 1821 Pierre Berthier published his experiments with chromium alloys of steel). If all these sound familiar it is because they are used in stainless steel.

Early stainless tableware got a bad press, as did the first batch or two of razors made from it after Harry Brearley working for Firth Brown labs discovered martensitic chromium stainless steel.

However, the early surgical steel can only be loosely defined as stainless - it was a precursor, if you like. I have been privileged to have had razors from 1850 - 1890 that were made from, and marked as being made from, surgical steel - these were superlative shavers that took and kept a very good edge indeed. I think it's raison d'etre at that time was that it was admirably suited to its task. I would think that nowadays 'surgical steel' is more strictly defined and is none other than true stainless steel.

Regards,
Neil

Correct,Surg steel is nothing more than 440 SS.

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

I'm not sure that is wholly acurate, Mike!

Many early (post 1775 mostly) edged tolmakers makers made both surgical implements and razors. Surgical steel arose as a more enduring form of steel because of the alloys used (nickel was discovered in 1751, moybdenum in 1778, chromium in 1797 and in 1821 Pierre Berthier published his experiments with chromium alloys of steel). If all these sound familiar it is because they are used in stainless steel.

Early stainless tableware got a bad press, as did the first batch or two of razors made from it after Harry Brearley working for Firth Brown labs discovered martensitic chromium stainless steel.

However, the early surgical steel can only be loosely defined as stainless - it was a precursor, if you like. I have been privileged to have had razors from 1850 - 1890 that were made from, and marked as being made from, surgical steel - these were superlative shavers that took and kept a very good edge indeed. I think it's raison d'etre at that time was that it was admirably suited to its task. I would think that nowadays 'surgical steel' is more strictly defined and is none other than true stainless steel.

Regards,
Neil

Yes probably best to clarify, the thread revolved around a vendor touting some Chinese made garbage which was marked "surgical steel". I stand to corrected but as I understand modern surgical steel is not very good when it comes to pocket or fixed blade hunting knives and the like

As a anesthesiologist I sometimes use a surgical blade to shave some arm hair in order to more securely tape the i.v. to the patients arm. Therefore I know that those surgical blades arent nearly that sharp as a well honed straight razor and most certainly not as sharp as a DE blade.

Originally Posted by Noxa

As a anesthesiologist I sometimes use a surgical blade to shave some arm hair in order to more securely tape the i.v. to the patients arm. Therefore I know that those surgical blades arent nearly that sharp as a well honed straight razor and most certainly not as sharp as a DE blade.

Have never seen that done,why not use a standard prep razor?

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Have never seen that done,why not use a standard prep razor?

It's not common practice but sometimes they don't have those disposable's or they only have clippers.

Originally Posted by Noxa

It's not common practice but sometimes they don't have those disposable's or they only have clippers.

I've done the same when a disposable prep razor wasn't available. Works, but certainly not ideal...modern scalpels weren't made to cut hair.