Thread: Damascus steel?

I won this auction just now: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ayphotohosting. Is this truly Damascus steel, and what exactly does that mean for a razor anyway?

Well, unless the razor came from the middle east and was produced several hundred years ago its not Damascus. Many razors are called that just like a car is called deluxe when its not. It means nothing. Damascus is actually a lost process involving the ore used in the production as well as the fashioning of the item. There are modern approximations of it as layered steel or wootz steel. Those are usually wicked hard and are very difficult to hone but once honed retain their edge a very loooong time. They also cost mega bucks.

I don't really know about the steel, but it looks like a very cool razor. If it is a W&B then you almost know that it has the potential to be a very smooth shaver.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Well, unless the razor came from the middle east and was produced several hundred years ago its not Damascus.

A correction: True damascus steel was made in only one region of the world - Andhra Pradesh in India. It may have reached the west via Syria or elsewhere but it was not a product of the middle east.

I doubt that that W&B is pattern welded steel.
It is more likely that that razor was made before consumer protection laws existed, and producers were allowed to call their products anything they wanted.

It sure doesn't look like anything approximating real Damascus -- just a 19th Century marketing gimmick, I guess. But I do really like the engraving on the blade. I hope it is as good a shape as claimed, but only time will tell.

Originally Posted by Kyle76

It sure doesn't look like anything approximating real Damascus -- just a 19th Century marketing gimmick, I guess. But I do really like the engraving on the blade. I hope it is as good a shape as claimed, but only time will tell.

Your probably right but you can't go by looks. The real stuff was mirror polished. The jacobs ladder pattern we covet now in pattern layered razors was then thought to be a crude artifact.