I like to cook; I bought a carbon-steel chef's knife 25 years ago, made by Richardson Steel of Sheffield. Regrettably they don't make steel in Sheffield any more, and that brand was sold to some Chinese company. The knife rusts if you let it; I call the result a 'patina'. It takes a wicked edge. It's still my go-to kitchen knife.
Just now I'm a beardie-wierdie; but I usually shave through the summer, using straight razors. These are also carbon steel, although I think one of my razors at least must have some chromium in it - it seems to resist tarnishing.
So: I wonder how this material compares to that Sheffield carbon steel for hardness and toughness. And I wonder how it compares with the Solingen steel my two daily razors are made of. As far as I'm concerned, a straight razor is the pinnacle of blade-making (I might take a different view if I was into swords).
One of my razors belonged to my father, and is Sheffield carbon steel. It was made in the 1930s, and I can't get it nearly as sharp as the modern Solingen steel razors (I tried shaving with it once, but it wasn't 'smooth').
I didn't get what hardening, tempering and annealing processes he applied; that makes a huge difference to the kind of steel you end up with.
I'm just a blade user, not a metallurgist or cutler. I'm just interested in high-performance blades. I wonder if this metal makes nice razors?
Just now I'm a beardie-wierdie; but I usually shave through the summer, using straight razors. These are also carbon steel, although I think one of my razors at least must have some chromium in it - it seems to resist tarnishing.
So: I wonder how this material compares to that Sheffield carbon steel for hardness and toughness. And I wonder how it compares with the Solingen steel my two daily razors are made of. As far as I'm concerned, a straight razor is the pinnacle of blade-making (I might take a different view if I was into swords).
One of my razors belonged to my father, and is Sheffield carbon steel. It was made in the 1930s, and I can't get it nearly as sharp as the modern Solingen steel razors (I tried shaving with it once, but it wasn't 'smooth').
I didn't get what hardening, tempering and annealing processes he applied; that makes a huge difference to the kind of steel you end up with.
I'm just a blade user, not a metallurgist or cutler. I'm just interested in high-performance blades. I wonder if this metal makes nice razors?