nashdude Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Now that I have my one-brick forge going, I'm ready to get in my shed and DO SOMETHING! But since I haven't got up the money to get a belt grinder yet, nor set up a REAL forge, nor transformed my RR rail into an anvil, my options are kinda limited. So I'm rummaging around my scraps and came across a section of sawblade from my first stock-removal knife. It's the center piece in this pic... I'd put it in my one-brick a few days earlier for her maiden voyage, heating it to non-mag and thus achieving a milestone (yay me!), but hadn't thought much about it since. Then I got to looking at it, and noticed how EASY it would be to grind it into a straight-razor-like shape. I found this thread through Google, and it gives a lot of good information in there, but I'd really be interested in what yall have to say. So how's about it? Anyone here with a little hands-on I can draw from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Can't say I've ever made a razor, but my first question would be: what's that saw blade made from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nashdude Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 Ummmm... steel? Honestly, I don't know. I just know it was a standard wood blade that was of no further use in its original state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Well even with my limited knowledge of circular woodsaws, it could either be some grade of HSS or a steel of some description with carbide tips welded on. Or it could be something a little more 'out there', like L6. If you want any realistic chance of succeeding I think that IDing the steel is your first step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tech413 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 That could be an interesting project. Do you plan to try to shave with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalMuncher Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 A good HT cycle is in order....to be able to shave with. Good luck googlemaster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nashdude Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 Well even with my limited knowledge of circular woodsaws, it could either be some grade of HSS or a steel of some description with carbide tips welded on. Or it could be something a little more 'out there', like L6. If you want any realistic chance of succeeding I think that IDing the steel is your first step. I can answer this much... no carbide tips. Whatever steel it is, it's at least the same steel the full length of the blade. There IS a raised section in the center, around the hole, but I think it's just more of the same type of steel. How does one go about IDing it?That could be an interesting project. Do you plan to try to shave with it? Almost HAVE to try to! I mean, what's the point in slamming one of these things together if I don't take the plunge and see if it was worth it? Granted, that means I'm gonna be flying solo on my maiden voyage---I'm a lifetime safety razor man---but if I'm gonna step up and "go straight", I think it's rather fitting I do it with a blade of my own design.A good HT cycle is in order....to be able to shave with. Good luck googlemaster! Hehe thanks. Yeah, by the look of it, the HT is gonna be all-important. It can mean the difference between a STRAIGHT straight razor and a wavy one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I can answer this much... no carbide tips. Whatever steel it is, it's at least the same steel the full length of the blade. There IS a raised section in the center, around the hole, but I think it's just more of the same type of steel. How does one go about IDing it? It's probably some grade of HSS then. Spark test will confirm this, but you'll need a grinder. Contacting the manufacturer wkth model number might give you a more precise answer. HSS can provide a very good edge if the right grade is heat-treated correctly. The problem is that it often requires HT precision beyond blacksmithing levels of accuracy. Consider it was designed to be fairly hot-hard; see here: M2 High Speed Steel it's still at 64RC at a black heat -- no running the colours here! If you want something low-distortion, O1 is good and can get good and hard. It's also cheap and readily available in several sizes and sections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 If you have never used a straight razor make sure you either get someone to show you or read up on it which I'm guesssing you may have already done that but I just have to throw the warning out there, I learned on a straight razor and still used it once in a while, they give a whole new meaning to "cut myself shaving", forget the little piece of tp stuck to your face. Once you master it though it is a really great shave. welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nashdude Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 Welp, scratch that idea I got me a (much needed) Delta SA180 from a friend this afternoon, and went out to my shop to make a place for it. While I was out there, I got to thinking about the scrap piece I was going to use for my razor. So I put it in the one-brick forge and brought it to non-mag. I took it out to let it cool, then set up my Delta. By the time I got done and took another look at the scrap, I noticed a diamond shape around the hole that I hadn't noticed before. Yep, you guessed it. As soon as the metal cooled, that diamond piece fell out, leaving me just a couple mm's of metal holding the would-be blade to would-be tang. Needless to say, I was ticked. :mad: Anyway, scratch one straight razor... at least for now. I've got a piece of antler I've been dying to affix a blade to anyway, so I'll come back to this later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsteel Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 · Hidden by Steve Sells, July 13, 2014 - spam Hidden by Steve Sells, July 13, 2014 - spam You may want to seek consultation. See here: Toolox . Good luck with the project. Link to comment
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