Thread: Safe Temperature Range

Please, please, please be extra careful when applying any sort of high heat to a straight razor.

Due to the extremely thin cross-section of the cutting edge, it is possible to build up way too much heat there before it can be 'wicked' away to the thicker portion of the razor. This cautionary note applies even more strongly to those straight razors with a very pronounced hollow grind (thinner).

The safe rule would be to NEVER apply heat to a straight razor using an open flame source. This list would include candles, bunson burners, propane torches and so forth.

Heat sources that might be considered safer (but never completely safe) would be ovens. A hot plate might be considered for use, but ONLY if one uses extra precautions to evenly spread the heat and at the same time hold the razor away from direct contatct with the heat source (via a screen platform or such).

In all cases, the application of heat should be SLOW and controlled. If you have no way to judge how much heat you are using then you are setting yourself up for a big disappointment as you might well draw the temper of your razor, thus rendering it useless.

When heating the steel of a straight razor blade, if you start to see a color change in the metal, you are already in dangerous territory as regards the strength of the steel. Heated steel exhibits color changes at particular temperatures. - - http://www.sizes.com/materls/colors_of_heated_metals.htm - - But, again, with respect to the very thin cross-section of a straight razor, you may have almost no time to react to this color change before it is too late. If the steel of your razor has started to turn yellow... on into blue... you have in all probability already affected the characteristics of the blade steel. Usually not for the better.

As a final note. Do not be tempted to think that placing a razor into boiling water is a good idea for any reason. I have heard a story (from a manufacturer) regarding a client who seemed to think that his brand new razor needed to be sterilized before use. Rather than simply wipe it down with some alcohol, he was silly enough to put said razor into a pan of boiling water on the stove... and succeeded in completely ruining not only the finish, but also the temper. The razor was a total loss.