Thread: Microscopy and Steel

Disclaimer: I'm a geek.

I came up with an interesting experiment for someone with access to high level microscopy which might help elucidate some of the differences between steels from Solingen, Sheffield, Eskilstuna, Mataro, etc. Here's the process:

1. Take photo of edge, maybe 45 deg off perpendicular.
2. Lay the razor on its spine, drag a glass beer bottle long the edge. Use only the weight of the bottle and this will help standardize the "strokes".
3. Take another photo of the edge.
4. Repeat until the blade no longer cuts arm hair.
5. Repeat process with another blade.

Why?

Well it would test my hypothesis that different metals wear differently, and it would visually confirm just how much an edge can degrade before it will stop cutting hair, ergo, just how much further one can hone a bevel before reaching the steel's full potential.
I use a glass bottle to erase an edge when I want to start the honing process over, and I've often been surprised by either how few or how many strokes it takes to achieve this depending on the blade.
Let me know what ya'll think.

I like the idea of an experiment, but I'd feel better dragging the razor over the bottle, than the other way around... seems like excessive weight (even just the bottle weight, depending on the bottle I suppose) for such a fragile edge.

I'd bet that it won't take many strokes at all... I think when I started honing on my coticule I completely killed an edge to where it needed a bevel reset after two full passes on a glass bottle

Maybe do something like shaves w/out stropping or something???

Well using the weight of the bottle would be more consistant than the weight of the razor, which changes drastically from Sheffield to Swedish for example. Assuming the bottle is empty of course. Maybe an empty glass vitamin bottle?
Shaving without stropping would take all the fun out of it
But for the sake of science it could work I suppose. But of course there would be more factors contributing to edge degradation, such as oxidation and stubble type. Not stropping after shaving would let these processes run rampant. I've also noticed different steels oxidize slower or faster than others.
So I think this test is more for sheer edge strength, and some cool pics to look at of course.

Originally Posted by bassguy

Maybe an empty glass vitamin bottle?

that would probably be better

They all use a similar steel (1.0-1.2% C, occasionally a small bit of Cr added), it's the heat treat that is different. We're not really testing the steel but the heat treat.

Originally Posted by cotdt

They all use a similar steel (1.0-1.2% C, occasionally a small bit of Cr added), it's the heat treat that is different. We're not really testing the steel but the heat treat.

Those small differences in alloy can make huge differences in the final result. We have to assume the heat treatment was properly done because if it wasn't the blade just wouldn't stand up at all in normal use.

Similar steel isn't the same steel. Pizza made anywhere but New York doesn't taste like pizza from New York, apples grown and bought in Seattle taste nothing like the apple I could get in Las Vegas. I think there are geographical contributions to the differences in steel. One interesting thing I've noticed is that the major steel producing towns are closely associated with rivers. Well duh, civilizations is closely associated with rivers and sources of fresh water, but those rivers won't taste alike at all.
Furthermore, I think there are social and cultural factors that make for different steel, just look at the austerity of Japanese culture and how they conduct themselves while forging steel.
But besides all that, I would just like to see what happens to an edge after one stroke on glass, then two, then three, until no hair will be cut from that blade. If we compare these results from multiple kinds of razors and grinds and sizes, it might clear up a lot of the mysticism around a lot brands and regions.
I'd do it myself, but I don't have the cool tools. Plus, I think this might be cheaper than that metallurgical study someone was undertaking a while back that has, as far as I know, not yet commenced.