Are there any companies using traditional sheffield style steel in their razors today? The couple I have I love but they seem to be the worst condition overall in the vintage market.
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Are there any companies using traditional sheffield style steel in their razors today? The couple I have I love but they seem to be the worst condition overall in the vintage market.
Up until fairly recently TI used Sheffield steel. They changed to another alloy a couple of years ago. Not sure about any of the other mfgs. :shrug:
The TI that I have is the new allow... It is like honing granite though when you finally get the edge on it, it lasts a long long time.
Steel manufacture in Sheffield declined steeply towards the end of the last century. I think some special steels are still produced. Sheffield Forgemasters still appear to be in business.
I think any cutlery and knife production is probably using imported steels.
A couple of years ago there was a thread on Sheffield steel and someone posted that even back in the heyday of Sheffield razor making some of the steel was imported from Sweden to Great Britain. I have no idea if that is accurate. I have always found it interesting that in the twentieth century German razors frequently were stamped with something like 'made with Sheffield Steel' while Sheffield razors were sometimes stamped 'ground in Germany' or 'Hamburg Ground'.Quote:
Originally Posted by welshwizard
I don't think it was the steel that was imported, but the Swedish 'Oregrounds' (oregrund) iron ore used in the production of Sheffield Steel.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
Sheffield is famous for the invention of Crucible Steel and the pioneering production of the first stainless steels.
Certainly when I learned chemistry at school in the '60s, Sheffield was the place most mentioned for the developement of steel manufacturing processes.
In the end all empires eventually decline, but we Brits can lay claim to punching above our weight for several centuries.
Wacker makes a blade called the "Old Sheffied." I'm not sure if it refers to the steel or just the style though.
I would watch the classifieds here..I did..and got this beauty.. A.J. JORDAN SHEFFIELD ENGLAND 7/8 - Straight Razor Place Classifieds
good luck!
pcdad
BTW--I waited months b4 my purchase and got my 2 sided strop from SRD
Sheffield isn't a kind of steel! It is where some of it comes from. They make mild steel there too! On another post in this thread someone refers to Sheffield steel as an alloy - once again it is not an alloy it is a place. Steel used for the making of razors has historically been the best available regardless of where it comes from. When it says Sheffield steel on a razor they are marketing the Sheffield reputation. Someone is going to say, "Well, the steel from Sheffield used in straight razors is great". Sure it is, but so is the steel from which the other razor blanks are made.
I think that is correct. There were a group of furnaces smelting ore, among which the reputation of E A Berg, C V Heljestrand and others was made, that converted to electric furnaces - out of the very many original furnaces only three electric ones remained in the early 1920s that were producing a special quality steel formerly made in charcoal blast furnaces from Dannemora ore. The Dannemora ore mine was one of the most important iron ore mines in Sweden. Their product was used in blister steel, oreground ores, and the walloon process among others, and a great amount of it went to Sheffield and enhanced Sheffield's reputation as a steel city.Quote:
Originally Posted by welshwizard
Regards,
Neil