Scaleless Damascus Razor for custom work

I've been looking around for a razor that is unique to me recently, I want to get into SR shaving and i want one i can keep for forever and pass down to my kids later in life. In my search I got side tracked into custom making razors (maybe a future endeavor) and saw a thread recently where someone got a group together and they pitched in some cash and cut some blanks out with a CNC to make some custom ones. Well i found a website that sells a Damascus razor at Alabama Damascus Razor / ADS0073-DKG . Its already hollow ground, heat treated, and some file work on the spine. All it needs is scales and to be honed I believe. I'm debating on getting on and buying scales and having it honed (those with experience in it would that make a good razor?), but i wanted to put this out there for all of you that do custom work. They also sell damascus sheets of different patterns if you want to cut one to ur own design.

I don't know. It is a gamble. There is a lot of specialized knowledge in making a viable shaving razor beyond taking a piece of material and shaping it to look like a straight razor. If the heat treating and grinding isn't correct for the purpose you end up with a more expensive box cutter.

See thats what i was thinking, i dont know a whole lot about metals. Thats why i figured I'd put out the information to the experts and see what they say, maybe someone has dealt with them in the past and used their product. If they deem it good then its a good link for others, if not, well, it could go on the do not buy list.

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

.... you end up with a more expensive box cutter.

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that is not very good at cutting boxes.

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Blade has been Precision ground, Laser cut, Hollow ground, Heat-treated to 58-60 Rc, & Etched

This blade just needs a final edge and some handles.

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I may be too much of a snob, but it is not Damascus, it is pattern welded steel. The fact that is comes with out a "final edge" makes me say, "hmmmm".

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Blade = 3/4" x 3-1/8"

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I think most of us would say 6/8 blade and length would be a "given" of 3 inches. Odd vernacular for a razor maker?

I would suggest that your needs will be MUCH better served with a quality piece from a KNOWN reputable source. If you are seeking an heirloom, invest wisely. Also, I would suggest getting into straights a bit before you attempt to find your "forever" blade. Most of us kiss a few frogs before we find royalty;)

I see what you mean Unit. They are basically an all around type of place, sorta like a "jack of all trades master of none". I still have a few months before i will be able to have a razor in hand (i'm deployed and dont want to have it sent here for fear of damaging it or worse stolen) so for now i'm just researching and trying to learn what i can. I'm still researching them and seeing if anyone has said anything about it but who know's it could be better served as a butter knife like yall say

I've had someone send me the same razor. I send it back. Not honeable and the angle is completely off so you need at least 10 layer to get a decent angle going on your hones. The spine width was very very narrow. Worthless as a straight razor.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...zor-knife.html


Nope Not a Razor


Edit: hehehe my Bro Max beat me to it

Thanks guys, and gssixgun just ignore that pm i sent you lol, you answered my question already

Glen,

Does this "razor" remind you of someone else??? :banghead:

Jason

A Damascus pattern razor for $50? Looks like a razor-shaped paper weight to me....

yea you ain't gonna get no quality razor period for $50 let alone a Damascus. Those are probably just chemical etch patterns on some generic steel so it looks like damascus.

Hello all -

Another newb with the same interest as the originator of this thread. By happenstance, I found the same website (alabama damascus steel) a couple of days prior to the creation of this thread.

I emailed back and forth a couple of times with the company, who inform me that while they know that several purchasers have made user razors from their stock, their sense that most were being made into display pieces.

I have a little OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) when it comes to searching the Web; this morning, I came across this site:

Messerklinge nanus Damast Rasiermesser Nordisches Handwerk | Details

Unless you sprechen zie deutsch (college German was a half-century and more ago), open using google translate.

xe.com converts 39.50 euros to 50.4x USD.

Despite my grandfather having been a principal at the company which first developed and marketed vanadium alloy steel, I know nothing of metallurgy ("I'm a doctor, not a metallugist"); these are the data provided by the site:

The Rockwell hardness is about 55-60 HRC.
The blade has a hollow ground and is pre-sharpened.
Blade length: 76 mm
Erl: about 64 mm
Total length: 140 mm

Curious to know that the experienced/pros think.


Stuart

in my experience, anything that says it's Damascus and is under $200, probably isn't Damascus. The time and effort to fold that steel isn't cheap, although it would be nice if it was. Good hunting.

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Originally Posted by StraightRazorRobot

in my experience, anything that says it's Damascus and is under $200, probably isn't Damascus. The time and effort to fold that steel isn't cheap, although it would be nice if it was. Good hunting.

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Further, as soon as someone realizes this sentiment has been expressed, there will be offerings of the SAME product for a price at or above $200;) (NOT joking)

Additionally, the statement or claim that, "several purchasers have made user razors from their stock" should offer no confidence. I and many others have sharpened several knives quite well and shaved with them for demonstration purposes. I would suggest that I could probably sharpen a convenience store pocket knife well enough to shave with it...but it would be a RATHER uncomfortable shave, and there would have to be a fairly good chunk of bet money trading hands when we were all done.

Not only did I shave with this knife, I did so dry...looking at the results...would you want to?
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5199/5...81edc58377.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3547/5...b387067d2d.jpg

Now i'm curious about that site one, so any input would be much obliged. i understand the part about if its under 200 its probably not real, but would using machines possibly lower the cost to that around about number?

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

yea you ain't gonna get no quality razor period for $50 let alone a Damascus. Those are probably just chemical etch patterns on some generic steel so it looks like damascus.

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It's genuine pattern welded steel Spendur. The squiggly lines run all the way through to the other side. The Alabama Shop is a big one that pumps out a lot of material. They must have figured a way to ramp up production to drop their costs so low. I know I couldn't make it selling for that cheap.

For you steel types who are interested, here's the calculation I just ran.

Steel type times carbon content times layers/mass added then divided by proportion equals mean carbon content. For the five welds they report, the carbon would be averaged pretty well across all the layers.

4 layers 5160 = 4 x 0.60 = 2.4
3 layers 203E = 3 x 0.20 = 0.6
3 layers 52100 = 3 x 1.00 = 3.0
3 layers 15N20 = 3 x 0.75 = 2.25

Carbon content 0.63 from this mix. Medium carbon steel containing two nickel (125N20/203E) materials and two with chromium (5160/52100) but not enough to be stain resistant.

None of which changes the fact that this is a razor-like object.

Duplicate.

Geometry, is as important if not more so then the steel,, The Alabama one doesn't have the geometry, looking at the other link it looks the same...
The spines are too thin,,, But I think that you should not take Max's or my word for it and try them yourselves :)