Thread: Anyone seen anything like this before? Cracked tang.

Pulled an ebay Triumph out of the mailbox today and found a hell of a weird (to me, at least) crack running lengthwise through the tang and shoulder. How does something like that even happen? Thermal effects?



Crack doesn't go all the way through. Can't see it affecting anything important, just a bit surprised and thought I'd share.

I've never seen that. Does it show on the opposite side as well ? If it extends to the pivot hole perhaps it may have been punched rather than drilled and the force of the press may have done it.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

... Does it show on the opposite side as well ? If it extends to the pivot hole...

Nope. One side only. Runs from the middle of the "U" in "Triumph" to about 3/4" past the second shoulder before trailing upwards to the spine and disappearing. Bizarre.

Only speculation on my part, but I think the tang stamp may have revealed a fault in the steel. Probably got passed quality control unseen and will shave fine.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Only speculation on my part, but I think the tang stamp may have revealed a fault in the steel. Probably got passed quality control unseen and will shave fine.

It could also be what's called a "cold shut". This is a forging defect where the steel folds across or around itself without a weld to make everything homogenous. A crack from driving the pin hole should show up on both sides. There is no way to determine when this happened. It could have been the steel mill, or the razor manufacturer.

I agree with Jimmy, it is a non-fatal flaw, it should shave just fine. Keep it oiled to prevent future issues.

I've seen a few of those during the years. Nothing that prohibited the razor from functioning normal.

I have seen quite a few of those in old razors - and some not-so-old razors (1940s - 50s). Mostly in the tang/shank area, some along the ridge of the spine and very rarely just in the shoulder of the spine by the tip. I'm pretty sure it is caused during forging as Mike says - the line isn't a crack. I have ground through an old junker-razor to see the extent of it, and have gone down 1mm or so and it just disappears in parts, but runs deeper in other parts, but never reaches the other side of the razor and rarely even the centre. It is a minimal defect in the examples I have seen - just cosmetic, really. It was probably regarded as such by the manufacturers too - given the lapping, buffing and polishing steps involved in finishing off the razor it must have been seen (more than one person involved in these last steps), and if it was missed there (unlikely) then the setter-in would have seen it when he affixed the scales - all this before any quality-control final inspection.

Regards,
Neil

That line is definitely a crack. It doesn't need to be through the entire part for it to be considered a crack. As soon as the material seperates somewhere, it's a crack.

For a crack to appear, you need 2 ingredients:

1 - A flaw in the material, or a sharp "corner" somewhere in the material (a pit, a change in section, anywhere on the part that isn't smooth.

2 - A load. The crack needs somekind of load to grow. That load can come from grinding, forging, or being dumped into cold water/oil after glowing red-hot.

The good news is that you need a load to make the crack grow. Unless you drop your razor, or store it wet (corrosion), I doubt that that crack will ever get any bigger. So it should stay put forever.

I have a crack like that one on the tang of the best shaver I own. I find it adds character to it, as if it had a small scar.

what they said............ enjoy your new razor and tell us how it shaves!!!

Originally Posted by Glenn24

That line is definitely a crack. It doesn't need to be through the entire part for it to be considered a crack. As soon as the material seperates somewhere, it's a crack.

I think that is exactly the point Mike was making - it isn't a crack because it was already there during forging. It's what I meant, anyway - the metal had a fold or wrinkle in it that has been flattened - ie it has not separated because it was never joined.

Just a case of semantics I suppose, except that this sort of defect does not spread like a genuine crack might do.

Regards,
Neil