Thread: Tamahagane Razors?

Hey, I'd love to have you over here. We're doing another burn Oct 5-6. One of this forum's denizens will show up hopefully and you'll get an objective report. It'll be objective until the slag run then everybody's mind goes on hold. Something about hot molten stuff to get the attention. Last year even the camera dude forgot what he was doing and he was looking through the lens.

There are some folks on your side of the pond who are going in the same direction. I was over in Kent last May doing a demonstration smelt. Do you have their contact info? If you connect to them, you'll be in good company for learning. You might even get to help make some and have your own chunk before I got to it.

Likely me or a couple of us will be testing such razors before long. I'll post out information as it comes up.

Keep us posted on when you're doing the burns because I'd definitely like to show up for one and lend a hand. Can't make it for 5-6/10 though.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

Keep us posted on when you're doing the burns because I'd definitely like to show up for one and lend a hand. Can't make it for 5-6/10 though.

Anyone who has an interest, I'll keep everyone's contact info and notify by email, or will post on this forum or a couple knife forums I frequent. I do some knife classes at my shop too.

The next one is a puukko class in March, not completely confirmed yet but likey mid march. Those blades are hollow ground, just like a razor, so it'd be good practice for anyone wanting to enter into the disease of steel.

I strongly suspect, but cannot yet confirm dates, that at least one good steel burn with some serious blade workers in attendance will occur in Nova Scotia within about a year.

If it's in the summer, chances are I'll just ride on down there. Haven't seen the east coast yet (which is a small bonus compared to the main event)

I actually have 2 razors in Tamahagane. One is a vintage the other is an Iwasaki razor in Tamahagane. It looks nearly identical to standard steel Iwasaki, however the blade (under magnification) is a hell of a lot different. It is FULL of the tiniest microserrations, and the edge lasts damn near indefinate.... sounds like a dream come true no? Well... no, as the "micro-serrations" and the steel being harder than chinese calculus equate to a bit of a "rough" shave. It shaves close, and comfortable, but I wouldn't say it's any better than the bearing steel version of the Iwasaki. If you research it, and talk to Iwasaki vendors, they'll confirm the Tamahagane Iwasaki's, but they'll tell you they are a collectors item, not a razor to use.

Note: the Tamahagane Iwasaki's are only made as "show pieces" for knife/blade shows in Japan, and are considered "collectors items" not really daily use items, so they are both expensive, and hard to come by. If someone is really interested and wants one, I might be able to source one for you, but it'd be at least a year before you saw it, and it'd be a fortune. There's a fella in Idaho (I believe) that does "sharpening tours" and instructs chefs how to hone blades etc, and he has a TON of really "high-up" blade contacts in Japan.

Interesting thread. Particularly since after reading it last night I thought "Hey, I haven't shaved with my Japanese straight in a while...." Then this morning, I took a closer look at it.

On the tang is stamped "Kiku Oban, Tokyo" along with the number 7, a crest that looks like a heart with a crown and cross atop it and "registered trademark." On the tail it's stamped "TAMAHAGANE." Pics attached.

This was, if memory serves, my third straight purchase. I bought it mainly because I liked the shape of the blade, but it's the first (maybe the last) that I managed to hone to an edge that made me think "whoa." Shaves quite nicely but the steel feels very hard. I can't say whether or not this is the fine steel being discussed, but from the way Mike talks about the Japanese reverence for Tamahagane steel, I don't see them being able to stamp it as such if it weren't. Anyway, thought you all might like to see it. If anyone knows more on this, please pass on the info!

Gents,

A Nova special called "Secrets of the Samurai Sword" will air tomorrow night (Tues. 10.9.07) on PBS. The promo looked like it would investigate design and metallurgy. Thought it might be of interest to some.

Nova has been a high quality production in the past. Hopefully this won't be a disappointment.

Regards

Good Job. The notice on the PBS special deserves a 'kudos' an excellent peice. It put some life into this discussion thread.

Originally Posted by oldschool

... A Nova special called "Secrets of the Samurai Sword" will air tomorrow night...

I watched the show. The fire parts were very good. The materials science stuff was directed at sixth graders but didn't have any egregious errors. The cheesy acting wasn't needed. The craftsmen were true artists. I'll be watching bits of that show until the hard drive dies.

I"m glad it had some interesting content. There's so much 'lost secrets' BS going around I wasn't sure.

I thought the secret (mild steel core covered by a tempered high carbon outer casing) was fascinating. The mild steel keeps the blade from breaking every time you chop somebody's head off and the high carbon keeps a keen edge so you don't have to hone after every one. For 1100 BCE, that would have been incredibly high tech.

If I ever make it to Japan, I'll certainly seek out a 'high museum' to get a look at a 'five body' blade. The Japanese haven't done any of that type of research since the 1930's and 40's.<insert smiley>

Regards