Stainless Steel Help

Water spotting has been "part of the straight razor deal" for me as well. I have learned to minimize it by rinsing, wiping and applying a rust preventative but I've also learned to live with it.

IME stainless razors stain less but are not immune. I have found some tougher to hone like the designer steels, ATS-34 and S30-V while the 440C that many companies used, and maybe still do, are not bad at all. They hold a good edge IME. I think they are fine and although I like carbon and the majority of my razors are HC I like my SS razors too.

Stainless steel is only stain resistant and is dependent on the quality of passivating performed on it after machining. If you do not take proper care of the metal it will eventually rust.

I have a bunch of stainless steel razors and they were no more an issue to hone than most other razors. As with all razors regardless of the metal there will always be a few that test your patients. There are a bunch of vintage razors made of ss but with the current market new Dovo or Boker razors may be close in price. While I have a few Dovo razors in ss most of my razors are vintage. The Dovo shave well. I can't speak of the others since I don't have any recently manufactured. Quality stainless straight razors will shave smooth when properly honed, just as most other quality razors will.

I have a number of stainless razors and with most going by shaving I would never know the difference between stainless and carbon steel. maybe one or two seem a tad rougher but then again if I devoted more time to them I could probably hone that out. As far as difficulty in honing and how many shaves you get I really don't find that much of a difference either way. Some stainless take a tad more time and maybe give a few more shaves but that a real generality. I have carbon steel razors that are real shave kings and are as tough as nails to hone.

I love my stainless razors they are a little easier to care for, if you don't want to wipe them down every time you use them. They will eventually stain just like carbon steel though, the drawback is getting them sharp they are a little harder to get sharp but once they are they are lovely to ownn and opperate. Get it pro honed and you won't have a problem or if you know how it's up to you, if your spots are'nt too bad you can get some micro fine mesh sandpaper from woodworking shops used to polish wood. I bought some from woodworking .com they go from 1500- 12000 grit.

In my experience stainless is not harder to hone than carbon
we are talking very thin edges here so not much steel to remove to feel any difference.

If the stainless steel has a really thin edge bevel then it will actually be easier to hone than most carbon blades. My Friodur was like this. Thick bevels is what makes certain razors take a long time to hone.

Thanks for replying and helping me out with this everyone. I still can't believe how helpful and nice the members of this forum are.

For those of you that do use stainless steel razors, do you oil them after using them for shaving?

I was hoping that by thoroughly drying a stainless steel razor after use the razor would not require to be oiled. Any carbon steel razor that I have will always be oiled after use because I really can't trust that metal to not have issues. However, I was hoping that the stainless steel would not require oiling. For me, oiling the razors is a bit of a pain. It is somewhat messy and I worry about messing the edge up when I apply the oil and when I wipe the oil off. Of course, this may be one of those YMMV things.

Thanks again. I looking forward to any other comments, especially on recommendations for stainless steel razors for purchase.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cotdt

If the stainless steel has a really thin edge bevel then it will actually be easier to hone than most carbon blades. My Friodur was like this. Thick bevels is what makes certain razors take a long time to hone.

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I have seen a bunch of carbon blades that are just as thin, Filarmonica, Double Duck, my new H. Diamond.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by altshaver

Hello All,
.....
I was wondering what people's impressions were of stainless steel razors. I have read up on stainless steel razors and have found that people say the edges last longer on them and that they are less prone to rusting. I have also read that they are much harder to hone.
......
Thank you for any help you may provide.

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Stainless steel is interesting stuff. It does
not machine and grind the same as normal steel.
A machinist once remarked that he put a tiny back bevel
on the cutting edge tool steel because stainless would
grab, chatter and tear and leave a bad surface if he did not.
And in the 60's when Buck and Puma began shipping hard
as heck stainless blades the rumors about honing
stainless began.

The key in the 60's was that the old Arkansas stones no longer
did the job. Stainless was too hard and too tough
to hone with Quartz/Novaculite hones. The toughness
bit might be the biggest issue.

With todays high carbon stainless steel and modern
man made water stones this is no longer the issue.

If you are a natural hone guy, stainless and some
super hard carbon steel razors may not be for you.

Simply put...
A modern stainless str8 should be a fine razor.
Unless it is from Pakistan.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Stainless steel is interesting stuff. It does
not machine and grind the same as normal steel.
A machinist once remarked that he put a tiny back bevel
on the cutting edge tool steel because stainless would
grab, chatter and tear and leave a bad surface if he did not.
And in the 60's when Buck and Puma began shipping hard
as heck stainless blades the rumors about honing
stainless began.

The key in the 60's was that the old Arkansas stones no longer
did the job. Stainless was too hard and too tough
to hone with Quartz/Novaculite hones. The toughness
bit might be the biggest issue.

With todays high carbon stainless steel and modern
man made water stones this is no longer the issue.

If you are a natural hone guy, stainless and some
super hard carbon steel razors may not be for you.

Simply put...
A modern stainless str8 should be a fine razor.
Unless it is from Pakistan.

---

A really coherent post with good information and advice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Stainless steel is interesting stuff. It does
not machine and grind the same as normal steel.
A machinist once remarked that he put a tiny back bevel
on the cutting edge tool steel because stainless would
grab, chatter and tear and leave a bad surface if he did not.
And in the 60's when Buck and Puma began shipping hard
as heck stainless blades the rumors about honing
stainless began.

The key in the 60's was that the old Arkansas stones no longer
did the job. Stainless was too hard and too tough
to hone with Quartz/Novaculite hones. The toughness
bit might be the biggest issue.

With todays high carbon stainless steel and modern
man made water stones this is no longer the issue.

If you are a natural hone guy, stainless and some
super hard carbon steel razors may not be for you.

Simply put...
A modern stainless str8 should be a fine razor.
Unless it is from Pakistan.

---

Great info but tho Arks are not really suited to SS & hard steel I wouldn't judge all natural hones to be the same... if that's what you meant :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by altshaver

Thanks for replying and helping me out with this everyone. I still can't believe how helpful and nice the members of this forum are.

For those of you that do use stainless steel razors, do you oil them after using them for shaving?

I was hoping that by thoroughly drying a stainless steel razor after use the razor would not require to be oiled. Any carbon steel razor that I have will always be oiled after use because I really can't trust that metal to not have issues. However, I was hoping that the stainless steel would not require oiling. For me, oiling the razors is a bit of a pain. It is somewhat messy and I worry about messing the edge up when I apply the oil and when I wipe the oil off. Of course, this may be one of those YMMV things.

Thanks again. I looking forward to any other comments, especially on recommendations for stainless steel razors for purchase.

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People generally don't oil razors at all, except for long-term storage. Some of my carbon razors are from the mid-1800s, and they are just fine. I'm still shaving with them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by niftyshaving

And in the 60's when Buck and Puma began shipping hard
as heck stainless blades the rumors about honing
stainless began.

---

Man, ain't that the truth, I remember when I first got my hands on a Buck 110 and later a Puma 972 Game Warden. Sin dipped in misery to hone those compared to the Case XX high carbon I was used to. :cry:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

Great info but tho Arks are not really suited to SS & hard steel I wouldn't judge all natural hones to be the same... if that's what you meant :)

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Spot on. All natural hones are not the same.
The garnets in Coticule are harder than quartz
by a lot. However in the '60 they were rare stones
so rumors began, which was my point.

Natural hones can be almost anything and commonly
need to be evaluated in the context of the razors
being honed. No 'general' comment will cover
the complexities associated with natural hones.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by altshaver

Hello All

Do you use stainless steel razors? Are they very hard to hone? If I used a stainless steel razor, could I get by without oiling it if I dried it out properly each time? Do stainless steel razors provide just as good a shave as their carbon steel brothers? Is honing on stainless steel razors somehow different than for carbon steel razors?

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I have one ss razor (old Friodur) and what it comes to shaving i can't really say if there's any difference with other razors i have. The differences might come from the blade shape but not steel quality. Honing is as easy as with other razors but as said here in previous posts, all hones are no good with ss.
I never oil my razors except those in long time storage. I just wipe them clean and dry with a towel.
Stainless stell isn't really stainless, but of course much more stain resistant as carbon steel.

Again, this is great information everyone. From what has been said earlier, a modern synthetic hone is probably a good idea to use instead of some of the natural hones. Will Naniwa's and Norton's work for stainless steel razors? Also, does anyone have any recommendations for stainless steel razors? I take it that the older Henckels Friodur razors are great. Unfortunately, I am not much of a vintage razor guy - too many variables to account for, and the market is crazy.

It also sounds like the stainless steel razors do not provide much of an advantage over their carbon steel companions. Perhaps I should just go for a known quality razor that catches my eye.

Thanks again everyone.

Any stone will work. But not all stones will work quickly or efficiently. Everything is a compromise. I have some ceramic Kasumi brand stones which cut stainless very quickly but they are verrry soft. Nortons I tried for comparison were slower but that's not always a bad thing.

If its just about a little extra maintenance with carbon steel, its not that much trouble really but yes Friodurs are a pleasure to use.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by altshaver

.... I should just go for a known quality razor that catches my eye.

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I believe this is the best advice, as far as concerns decisions about purchasing razors go, in this thread. Find a razor you like, and if you don't enjoy the way it shaves... well, the vintage market just keeps climbing.

Dovo makes a modern stainless razor, if you don't like vintage. Of course there are also custom razors which use steels like CPM154.

One thing I want to be clear about is that I think the vintage blades are great. I really enjoy looking at all the posted pictures of the vintage blades that are posted on this forum. However, it is just easier for me to buy new. I would also feel terrible ruining a vintage razor that isn't being made anymore. Also, I don't want to contribute to the lunacy on ebay anymore.

I am thinking of getting a one or two Dovo stainless steel razors. The Dovo Pearlex has caught my eye. The Dovo All Stainless has also caught my eye. The pictures of the Dovo Pearlex on Classic Shaving make the razor scales look great; however, other pictures of this razor on other vendors' sites don't flatter this razor. Does anyone have any experience with this razor? Anyone have any NOS Friodurs in 5/8 or 6/8? :)

It does not seem like anyone has experience with the new Bokers or new Henckels razors. I think I won't consider them because of this fact.

Again thanks everyone.

CarrieM has a Dovo Pearlex. It's a real looker!

That Dovo Carbon Pearlex looks pretty good. I like the scales with the Dovo logo.

I have another question about stainless steel. Do strop pastes work well for sharpening stainless steel blades or as well as they do for carbon steel blades? Thanks for the help.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by altshaver

That Dovo Carbon Pearlex looks pretty good. I like the scales with the Dovo logo.

I have another question about stainless steel. Do strop pastes work well for sharpening stainless steel blades or as well as they do for carbon steel blades? Thanks for the help.

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Sorry, I don't usually use strop pastes, Maybe someone w/ experience will jump in.