3 Attachment(s)
Razor dimensions and steel
Attachment 94552Attachment 94553Attachment 94551Aloha,
1. my copy of the wade and butcher diamond edge
2. my restore of a 5/8 Boker
3. my restore of the Wade and butcher diamond edge
as a knifemaker the first thing i noticed is how the razors are advertised without telling what type of steel it is made of. Knife guys get pretty set on certain steels. ats 34 cpm's etc. I looked into this and found that there is a loose margin of requirement for steel selection in straights. some sources recommend a steel with more than .06% of carbon some said .07%.. I found that there are alot of steels that meet this suggestion but dont take into account the other variables with modern steels. for example s30v makes a great hunting knife but I havent found a straight mad from it. there are some that are made from 440 c I would not recommend it. (i dont know everything and recommend doing your own research im also open to more knowledge that would help me have a more informed opinion. I purchased a wade and butcher diamond edge and it was to date the best shave so far. partly due to the clever rigid design
I selected a 01 tool steel (as this is an oil quench steel that can reach 63 on the rocwell hardness scale) and copied the dimensions and it became my first razor that I made from scratch. I love all the different angles and tapers from this particular design.
the other thing that I like about this unique design was that where the metal meets the stone is not at the top but closer to 2/3 rds up toward the spine. so its a 5/8 in function and 8/8 measured from the top edge of the spine to the cutting edge. my 8/8 is 9/32 thick where the metal meets the stone and the diamond edge is 1/8th inch thick.
The thickness of the razors is almost never talked about but it is a very important piece of the shaving experience. the thickness of the blade and the distance to the cutting edge decide the angle of land on the cutting edge. (basic geometry) However, this is never talked about and i find it to be incredibly important.
A japanese kitchen knife utilizes a 15 degree cutting edge. This is common knowkedge and this is for veggies. razors are for our face and wikipedia just says that a straight razor has a cutting edge of less than 15 degrees. Why have we not figured out the optimum angle for SR cutting edge? Or have they?