Thread: Manganese Steel?

I worked in the Steel Industry for thirty-five years. Steel does in fact contain Carbon, Manganese, Vanadium and so on. It is the PERCENTAGE of these alloying elements that determines exactly what type of steel that you have.
Another factor that has a great deal to do with the final product, is heat treating. Hardening, drawing, annealing and so forth.
Iron and Carbon are the basic ingreients of Steel. The additives determine the outcome. Just as Flour is the basic ingredient of Bread. It also figures prominently in Cake, Gravy and Paste. It's what the Flour is mixed with, and how it is treated after that, that makes it what it is.
Almost all steel is Magnetic...there are some grades of Stainless that aren't. Different grades of Carbon Steel are applicable to different uses. The alloying agents determine the specific use. Chrome-Vanadium Steel is a good Blade Steel. For Many years the W.R. Case Company (Makers of Case XX knives) used it a LOT.
52100 is Ball Bearing Steel and the Marble's Company used to make knives from it, they still might, I'm not sure. That stuff is as hard as Chinese Arithmetic. The 100 (last three digits of the designation) refers to 100 points of Carbon in the makeup of the Steel. That's ONE PERCENT Carbon. That's a lot!
But I digress.

Jeeter

I don't know about the U.S made razors but keep in mind that though there were probably hundreds of people turning out razors in Solingen alone very few made the razors from scratch. There were only a very few places that made the blanks and they did not sell blanks by grades. Possibly some of the few companies selling razors made from scratch had their own proprietary steel used for razors and the only one I know for sure who did this was Hen and Rooster though probably there were a few others. Possibly some were able to get custom batches but I really doubt it.

As far as stainless goes the early stuff is all the same. Its only very recently with all the custom guys that people are using different grades of stainless. TI just started using Carbon Steel with a higher carbon content and people are all agog over that. Maybe if they ever do that razor analysis experiment we will find out.

My previous post was a very generalized thumbnail sketch of Steel and the making of it. However there are only so many ways of making Steel, such as Open Hearth, Basic Oxygen and Electric Furnace. They are different ways to product the same thing, Steel! There are only so many additives that will positively impact the alloy. 'Get you what you want' so to speak.
I am relatively certain that Steel production is pretty standard across the industrialized world. What I am getting at is that the businesses that sold the blanks that Razor manufacturers used, DIDN'T use Mild Steel, Drawing Quality Steel, or some "Mystery Grade" of Steel! It WAS definitely some grade of HIGH Carbon Steel. It HAD to be, in order to be hardened by heat treating. What the other additives were, is anybody's guess, without an analysis. Probably Manganese, maybe Vanadium, possibly Chromium, or Molybdenum. I don't know. Each of these metals will produce beneficial results in the Steel. I am not a Metallurgist, so I am not an expert in 'Steel recipes' but I don't believe the Steel producers were shooting in the dark. They knew what they were doing and they could make the product the customer wanted. If not, their replacement could.

Manganese steel was used in narrow gauge railways as it is very tough and stood up well to wear. Interestingly, when the Yukon narrow gauge line was abandoned, the narrow gauge manganese steel track was auctioned. Guess who bought it all..........thats right, it was Gillette. I don't know if manganese steel is good for a straight razor, but I do know that anyone using disposable Gillette razors, is shaving with manganese steel.

Originally Posted by davisbonanza

Hello all,
Does anyone have any information as to whether or not manganese steel razors from Wester & Butz, Solingen are any good?

Thanks

you learn somthing new everyday thanks for the insight into metal production guys

I am going to school for mettallurgy is it possible to use only manganese in the recipe with other ingredients bit primarily manganese. The problem ive heard is that its a hard hone

How many people have dropped a razor and chipped it. Pet project of mine Bc I want to design an indestructible razor

Originally Posted by Jimg1775

How many people have dropped a razor and chipped it. Pet project of mine Bc I want to design an indestructible razor

If you are successful and it shaves well you will be a very wealthy man.

Gillette already done it!

I recently honed a a very hollowed Bartmann razor that is made of manganese steel. I was amazed how much time it took me to set the bevel, the metal is indeed very very hard! Great shaver.