Thread: Sheffield silver steel

I was looking at some of TIs blades on classic and it looks like a lot of them are Sheffield silver steel. Is this more difficult to hone than carbon steel and which can achieve a sharper edge?

I am not sure. I know that they seem to glide on the strop and hone like no other razor I have used. They really do seem smooth on the skin too. Pretty durable tough stuff and light to hold.

Silver steel and high carbon steel are more or less the same thing - these days chromium is added rather than silver, hence the term 'chrome steel'. This is done to reduce or eliminate polishing times. All razors are made from carbon steel (except of course stainless steel blades, stainless steel is defined as an iron-carbon alloy with a minimum of 10.5% chromium content. The terms are bandied about quite a bit - let's face it 'silver steel' sounds quite cool, doesn't it? In the past makers also used terms such as 'magnetised' steel (though what this was is anyone's guess, being a pure advertising ploy!) 'India' steel (?????) and even 'Manganese' steel (all carbon steel contains manganese).

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by blueprinciple

Silver steel and high carbon steel are more or less the same thing - these days chromium is added rather than silver, hence the term 'chrome steel'. This is done to reduce or eliminate polishing times. All razors are made from carbon steel (except of course stainless steel blades, stainless steel is defined as an iron-carbon alloy with a minimum of 10.5% chromium content. The terms are bandied about quite a bit - let's face it 'silver steel' sounds quite cool, doesn't it? In the past makers also used terms such as 'magnetised' steel (though what this was is anyone's guess, being a pure advertising ploy!) 'India' steel (?????) and even 'Manganese' steel (all carbon steel contains manganese).

Hope this helps!

There ain't no silver in silver steel, it is just because it polishes up really nicely that it gained the name. It is a high carbon (1%) tool steel. It should take a good edge, assuming it was well heat treated.

As far as I can tell all TI´s are made of sheffield steel.
I don´t think there is a difference in honing or achieving a sharper edge.
The silver steel is just said to become a little shinier when polished properly.


I am not even close to be an expert on steels and its contents but as far as I know there really is a very small %ige of silver in silver-steel (Yes, I do also know that there is no %ige of Pumas in Pumaster-Steel ) ?
I thought it (the silver) had the purpose to make the regular carbon steel a little softer and easier to polish?

I'm a carbon junkie when it comes to kitchen knives, razors as well... I'm collecting knives from different makers and different carbon steel recipes for a test. In the circles I run in, to call it stainLESS it must have 12% chromium in the mix. That doesn't mean it will not rust or corrode (sp) just that it will happen "Less" than a steel without it. Many steels have resistant qualities that are unbelievable (AS steel for one, my favorite steel ). Takeda uses AS steel in many of his knives and the blanks he suplies to Livi for his razors. This steel is hard and very resistant, I don't know what rockwell the razors are heat treated to but many of my AS kitchen knives are rated at 64RC. This stuff will polish up to a mirror and keep it, you can even hear your stones cry when you start working it though

Ooops got off on a tangent I'm interested in finding out what all steels are used in razors (by recipe) so I can compare their prefomance to known kitchen knives of the same steel. I'll have to look into these steels mentioned here and see whats what

Originally Posted by ernestrome

There ain't no silver in silver steel, it is just because it polishes up really nicely that it gained the name. It is a high carbon (1%) tool steel. It should take a good edge, assuming it was well heat treated.

Wrong - Michael Faraday invented it and silver was added at a 1% ratio, now replaced (sometimes) by chrome or molybdenum.

I like how the junior members keep trying to correct the senior members

Originally Posted by blueprinciple

Wrong - Michael Faraday invented it and silver was added at a 1% ratio, now replaced (sometimes) by chrome or molybdenum.

Wrong, it was .02%.