Thread: heat and razor question.. autoclave.. and what not

hey guys I didnt know if this would go in the shop section or in general razor section but here is the question

if a razor was autoclaved (no idea if it is a word) multiple times would that mess with the temper of the blade or mess with its ability to take an edge..

Yes, it's a word. No, it would not harm the temper. Unless it's a stainless steel blade it will rust the the blade. Unless the scales are made of steel, like a Wapi, the scales likely won't handle the autoclave temperature.

The more important question is why do you need to autoclave your razor?

well.. I am just daydreaming about "one day when" and shop ownership and straight shaves using an actual blade.. like a kamisori or a non folding type of blade.

autoclaving them so I can use a real blade instead of a shavette

I was told by a Barber that the issue in NY for spreading diseases is not the razor but the strop. Ya might want to look into that. The other option would be that the customers keep their razor and strop at your shop like the old day barbers stored customer's brushes and mugs.

I agree with Utopian, the scales will not survive an autoclave. Soaking just the blade in Barbercide will kill anything and everything you might be worried about.

Ed

I use an autoclave routinely for tattoo needles. The temp to kill bugs is 265 which is not going to damage the temper but won't do the razor's edge any good. Needles lose a bit of keenness in the clave. I suspect a razor's edge would as well. Some states do not allow using anything but a disposable type 'shavette' anyhow. Check your local ordinances if you're a pro barber.

The autoclaves in our dental office operate at about 350 degrees and to my knowledge, the temper shouldn't be effected until after about 400 degrees...that's a close call. Dental tools are hardened at the factory, but after numerous autoclave runs, the instruments are pretty much useless after about a year. Items like scalers just won't hold a proper cutting edge after that amount of time. I don't know if the higher temps are slowly killing the temper or what, but the metal just gets softer and softer as the months go on. Without a doubt, you're going to need some metal scales as any other material is going to either melt after the first run or just turn to mush. If you decide to go for a complete sterilization using this method, here's what you need to do: hand clean your razor to remove as much bioburden as possible, run the razor in an ultrasonic cleaner for ten minutes, oil the razor, bag it in a sterilization bag, autoclave. If you don't oil the razor completely, it will be destroyed by rust in a couple days...that steam gets in there and absolutely destroys carbon steel instruments in a couple days. Ideally, your autoclave would be a dry heat instead of steam or chemical.

thanks for the answers guys.. mostly it was curiosity about the tempering process and the legality of it.. i am checking out the laws and regulations of the state board now.