Thread: Steel: the final cut?

I've been doing some thinking with a thing that rests on my neck and primarily used for carrying hats and I came up with a rather silly question: if you open a jar of mustard and drop it on a cat, will the cat run or get knoked out due to the combined forces of the jar and the smell of mustard?



No, really... as much as droping things on cats appeals to me, that is not my silly question.
This one is, though:
We all know that razors are made of steel, different types of steel that have one thing in common: a well balanced proportion of harndness and the softness required to create a sharp (very very sharp) edge. But ever since I discovered ceramic blades and saw a member here trying to make a prototype razor out of a ceramic blade I started wondering if the use of steel - smart choice as it is - was not a choice made (through history, of course) due to some sort of compromise solution between cost and effectiveness. Perhaps this question should be posted on the Workshop part of the Forum. Feel free to move it there if you wish...
So... in theory can you make a razor out of other materials? I mean, can you make a blade that has the requirements of a razor out of something other than steel? But let's keep the practical things out of the way... forget about costs or the difficulty of honing that theoretical blade.

I'd advance some possible materials:
1) other metals such as silver, gold or platinum
2) metalic leagues as titanium or aluminium
3) non metalic compounds such as ceramic materials
4) stones like silex

What are your thoughts on this? Anybody thought about this before? Might this be possible (mind me: I'm putting aside the feasability of the thing...) or is this Star Wars mumbo jumbo?

Bump?... Anybody interested in this problem? I could elaborate on the technique of stunning a cat with a jar of mustard if you want...

Okay...

Originally Posted by fpessanha

...let's keep the practical things out of the way... forget about costs or the difficulty of honing that theoretical blade

Then what are the restrictions? How about diamond?
Or possibly some form of plutonium that could stunt all hair growth for a really long time?

I wonder if a razor can be made out of a real light saber, that would be pretty cool!

I think so. I dropped a can of baked beans on my cat. It did not run, however. It just kind of fell over on the ground and has not moved for several days now. It is starting to smell a bit - that is probably the baked beans.

James.

The cutlery industry has had innovators and creators working on "a better blade" for centuries. So far, the general consensus is that high carbon steel is still, after all these years, arguably the best material for cutting blades. It takes a great edge. It holds a great edge well, and it can be readily resharpened with a number of sharpening tools.

I think there were/are very old examples of shaving implements made of stone and glass-like substances like obsidian, which I believe is used today in some medical procedures as it can have an edge much finer than steel.

I think steel was/is easy, cheap, and gives consistent results. Hence its ubiquity in shaving.

James.

How about glass? A shard of glass may be sharper than a razor… I bet it could shave a few strands.

Jimbo: sorry to hear about your cat... I'm sure the smell is related to the baked beans. Mustard seems to work well too. My cat is still up and running... thus my question.

Thanks for the replies, guys.
I guess that obsidian or diamond could work. A light saber might give you a really nasty nick... nothing an alum block would't fix though...

But lets bring back the practical aspects, then... how about silver or gold or platinum, or even aluminium. What do you think. Isn't there a possible alternative to steel? Mind me, I do like steel. I'm just trying to figure if there might be something else...

I think at one time or another people have tried everything. So unless some new fangled material comes out I would say HCS is overall the best.

They do make obsidian knives but they are designed for display only. They and glass would be much too brittle to be used as a razor. maybe some type of space age plastic?

I've heard it said that obsidian can have the sharpest edge. I know it makes really nice broadheads and tiny chips are, in fact used for delicate eye surgery from what I've heard. The problem with obsidian is that the sharpness is achieved by flaking it. And while it makes a really nasty broadhead capable of cutting the dickens out of a critter (or your fingers and hands while you're knapping it), you're not going to get a straight edge big enough to make a practical shaver. And you can't hone it into shape. And it is extremely brittle. It's just not practical to use for a precision cutting blade larger than a few millimeters.

But.... I've never been one to try to stifle creativity. If you think you can figure out a way to turn obsidian into a usable razor, by all means knock yourself out. It wouldn't be a particularly expensive project. But I'd recommend reading up on flint-knapping first.