Any enablers out there? :chapeau
Saving up for my next purchase... Those of you who have shaved with a wootz steel razor:
how does the shave compare?
edge retention?
honing ease/difficulty.
Thanks in advance.
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Any enablers out there? :chapeau
Saving up for my next purchase... Those of you who have shaved with a wootz steel razor:
how does the shave compare?
edge retention?
honing ease/difficulty.
Thanks in advance.
My opinion would be...like Sheffield steel of ol'. Very smooth, yet crisp.
Never honed one, though.
Judging from Bruno's blade I have, it shaves superbly. Edge retention is definitely not any worse than other top quality carbon blades. Probably better then most, but I haven't used it enough time to arrive to definite conclusion. Honing was easy enough, but I guess it depends more on the specific blade's hardness, so YMMV.
I have two Wootz razors.
My first thought is that it depends who honed the razor, and with what stones.
I hone mine with a Shapton Glass progression and finish on a True Hard Ark.
They both shave very smooth and comfortable.
They do have the unique feel of Wootz, which is due to the characteristics of the steel. It is known to always have a little bit of a serrated edge microscopically.
Pete <:-}
Do you all find that you reach for the wootz razors more than the others.
No. I Have between 125 and 150 razors and always use them in rotation.
Pete <:-}
I do have lots of blades, but this one is constantly in my rotation - which consists of a dozen straights.
I have a Wootz also. It gets out about as often as my other blades. I do not do a dedicated rotation, it is whatever I’m in the mood for. It shaves well, and I have never had to hone it. They are unique in appearance and shave. If you are curious, buy one, I think they retain their value better than any manufactured razor.
I used to have a few. I still have one. I thought they shaved equally well with my other quality razors. Nothing special really other than the hype over them and of course they look cool.
Maint was another story on one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RezDog
Thank you fellas for the feedback. This is what I was looking for :chapeauQuote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
I am not really interested in the look, but mostly the shave. I tend to like the Swedish steel, and I hone on film. My best shavers are some of my cheapest. But if wootz has that magical shave quality... then it might be worth it.
FME, it can be hard to hone. At least in my one instance.
Seems to shave quite well as finished. Old time steel feeling and noise as-shaving.
Cannot say about edge retention.
Nothing seems magical anymore.
Good is when it gets there, I suppose. A thread could be 'What is Magic?' .
We are talking about Wootz in general? :)
Pete: you have me beat, I have 75 and I too use them all; three to four days with one then on to the next.Quote:
Originally Posted by petercp4e
"My best shavers are some of my cheapest" I have a 6/8 Claus Barber Special, made in Ohio, that I payed little for and stacks up
really well with anything I have.
There were a few makers in Ohio, all were exceptional.
I guess so. I only know of our custom maker here that is doing razors in wootz. I am not too interested in the pattern folded and welded right now.Quote:
Originally Posted by sharptonn
I do not have a Wootz blade, but I do have one of Victor's Bluesman blades. He uses what is called a San Mai pattern which is a three-layer sandwich of steel. Thus, the majority of the blade has a San Mai pattern, but the edge is formed from the center layer only. Thus, the edge hones like a normal steel blade, but it has an appearance similar to Wootz.
I like my blades very sharp and very smooth, so the the San Mai pattern is a better option for me. Vic is excellent at grinding; He uses a bellied hollow grind, ideal for my coarse beard. He also does a great job of honing the edge...wicked sharp, yet smooth.
I think there is a little bit of confusion here. San Mai (三枚) means literally "three pieces" - which describes the three-layered "sandwich" you've mentioned. The central layer is usually hard carbon steel giving superb edge, when the outer layers are usually some softer but more corrosion-resistant metal. Often in order to make the blade more aesthetically attractive, these outer layers are made of Damascus (patterned) steel.Quote:
Originally Posted by RayClem
Now, the confusion came from different meanings the definition of "Damascus" steel used to have in previous centuries and in the modern times. Nowadays Damascus indeed means pattern-welded steel, while a couple of centuries ago it used to be a synonym of Wootz crucible steel. Today the two definitions are not interchangeable: Wootz refers to a microscopic composition of the metal (hardly visible even if etched), while Damascus describes the macroscopic pattern-welded steel. To make things more complicated, one can make a Damascus out of Wootz - but I don't think anybody does it besides may be some special projects.
If anyone interested, there is a more detail (but still in layman terms) description here.
That's a good summary of the differences. The dendritic pattern on the surface of a wootz blade is very visible if etched correctly. And pattern welded blades can have patterns so fine that they are hard to see as well. As always, it depends on one's perspective.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimab
The material (of whatever choosing) will be hard to hone because the steel is too hard (higher in Rockwell hardness). Softer steels will hone easier. Too soft and the edge will not be durable enough to shave comfortably for any length of time.
Honing and correct edge geometry will always win. Ancient razors made from bronze shaved hair. Bronze is not known for it's hardness. It was relatively harder because hammering would work-harden the material. It is possible to sharpen/hone even a relatively soft material to a shaving edge. It might not shave as long as a piece of hardened steel but that's why steel became the material of choice for sharp things.
I'd like to say I can make good steels. But when the honemeister has gotten the best out of whatever he hones, the edge is polished to the point where you can't tell what steel it's made of. The superficial etching is removed and all that's left is the steel. Microscopically all you see is scratches depending on how far your magnification goes. Grain size and carbide formation all play a role but those are well below visible to the naked eye on a polished edge.
If you can get an edge sharp and it shaves (or your technique too) pleasantly, that's probably good enough. The rest are aesthetics, legends, myths and magics.
Makes it a bit hard to determine edge retention over a number of shaves, no?Quote:
Originally Posted by petercp4e
I never have counted the number of shaves on any razor.
I just go by feel to determine when to take a razor back to the hones for a touch up or re-hone.
They always tell you when their ready.
Pete <:-}
I go by feel too, but if I had a razor that only held an edge for a few shaves I would want to know sooner than 18-24 months. I normally get 50-100 shaves off of an edge and that takes over a year with a seven day rotation.Quote:
Originally Posted by petercp4e
My wootz steel razors are okay, nothing exceptional. I have Damascus and carbon steel that shave better.