Thread: Any way to understand if a straight is stainless steel?

Try a magnet. Most (but not all) stainless steel isn't magnetic.

Brian

Originally Posted by Benthic

Try a magnet. Most (but not all) stainless steel isn't magnetic.

Brian

The high-carbon stainless used in quality cutlery will still be magnetic.

This reminds of some old posts here on SRP.
What was said then was that you can put a drop of orange or lemon juice in the blade (for example in the back of the shank or in the tail) - if it's carbon it will change color, if not it's stainless.

Here are a few rules of thumb. If a razor is vintage, it will virtually always say "stainless", "Inox" or "rostfrei" on it. If it's made anywhere else, it's almost certainly high carbon steel. A drop of lemon juice or vinegar will turn high carbon a dark color where it contacts. It could take a few minutes, though.

Care for it as though it's high carbon steel and you'll do just fine. It doesn't require any different hones or different strops. You just have to hone them till they're sharp enough to suit your fancy. I think high carbon steel will take a better edge, but that's just one man's opinion.

If you want a proof positive test just immerse the blade in some salt water for a couple of hours and you'll know for sure. It should only take you a couple hours of polishing to get all the rust off. Or you can crush up the blade to a very fine powder and if you happen to have a X-Ray defractor lying around the house you could then identify all the elements in the mix

Seriously, I've never seen a vintage stainless that didn't indicate stainless. In those days it was a real feature in a razor and most companies advertised that fact.

Originally Posted by PapaBull

Here are a few rules of thumb. If a razor is vintage, it will virtually always say "stainless", "Inox" or "rostfrei" on it. If it's made anywhere else, it's almost certainly high carbon steel. A drop of lemon juice or vinegar will turn high carbon a dark color where it contacts. It could take a few minutes, though.

Care for it as though it's high carbon steel and you'll do just fine. It doesn't require any different hones or different strops. You just have to hone them till they're sharp enough to suit your fancy. I think high carbon steel will take a better edge, but that's just one man's opinion.

I guess these razors are not stainless then
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...tml#post595498

as there are no such marks on them.

Any carbon steel is going to be magnetic to some degree or another.

Originally Posted by stdreb27

Any carbon steel is going to be magnetic to some degree or another.

+1 for this.
There are some ways to prevent carbon steel from getting magnetic, but those methods are if not unsuitable then too complicated for such every day things as razors.
In practice it doesn't affect on shaving or honing if carbon steel razor is magnetic. Even honing and stropping causes the cs razor to get magnetised (or de-magnetised) if we have the equipment fine enough to inspect very little details.

Originally Posted by Sailor

+1 for this.
There are some ways to prevent carbon steel from getting magnetic, but those methods are if not unsuitable then too complicated for such every day things as razors.
In practice it doesn't affect on shaving or honing if carbon steel razor is magnetic. Even honing and stropping causes the cs razor to get magnetised (or de-magnetised) if we have the equipment fine enough to inspect very little details.

Maybe I should rephrase it a little, a magnet is going to stick to carbon steel.

Originally Posted by ferroburak

I guess these razors are not stainless then
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...tml#post595498

as there are no such marks on them.

You are correct. Those are high carbon steel, not "stainless".