Thread: A Sad Tale...

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

I don't think so - I reckon that the temper temperature is somewhere around 425 degrees F, whereas boiling water in an open container is around 212 degrees F.

Regards,
Neil

I'd agree with this. The lowest temper that I'm aware of in any tool steel is white #1, which has more carbon than most (and at the high end, probably all) razors and nothing or near nothing (like tungsten, etc) to increase the temper temperature. And it would be unaffected by boiling in water.

If anything, I would think that a boil might improve the temper of the steel, but it's most likely that it would do nothing.

A chip like that is evidence that the razor was either too hard tempered to begin with and knocked against something, pushed into something or caught on something (the hard temper wouldn't matter, anyway).

The dremel may be a good supposition, too. I suspect (and that's all we can do) that more is known that is not being relayed.

If not, something was wrong with the razor before that may not have been evident until it got some heavy handed treatment of some sort, but the boiling didn't cause the problem.

I'm not an expert , but it seems to me that if the blade was going to fall apart ,it would have fallen apart when it was being honed . Not when it was being shaved with . The boiling water immersion , and standing in said water , should be grounds to void any warranty (IMHO) . I don't see how that razor could get that kind of damage , any way other than , abuse .