Thread: Exotic steels for strait razor making

I have cpm 154 that I just ground my first razor from. I have 1095 as well, and m390

I am wondering if m390 has a fine enough grain structure for a razor

Is there a "best" straight razor steel? I dont care how hard to hone it is. I prefer very hard steels. Something that will take and hold an ultrafine edge when honed and stropped all the way to .05μ spray.

I am wondering about elmax vs cts xhp, whether m390 should be considered, and whether I'm missing any great ones. I know o1 and 1095 make fine razors, but I want something unique and made with an exotic and high tech steel.

Exotic? How about Talonite. Its a Stelite alloy. Very spendy If you can find it at all. I had considered using that and still may but I'm not sure how well it will hold a razor edge, but maybe. Hows the CPM 154 for fineness of edge?

The more I read and the more I learn and experience, the more I like the old fashion high carbon and simpler tool steels for knife blades. I am making 2 (razors) out of O1 right now and am thinking about doing a couple out of D2. I am finding that no matter how much I want to like SS I have trouble getting the fine edge on it that I like. I am also finding that with my current EDC which is a Benchmade with S30V, I have to hone a much steeper angle to get a decent edge. It will get sharp and hold an edge, just not super fine, OR what I would call keen.

Some times the old way is better, though, the Old Way was the New Way at one time.

Talonite, is not capable of rusting. Hmmmm.

Jeff

I know that cpm 154 is a lot like ats34, which I believe mastro livi has used. The difference is in the cpm, which can only improve the grain characteristics. It seems the obvious choice for a ss straight.

This is a passage from knifeart.com. I'd never heard of Talonite, but it sounds like it might be a good option


Talonite® can be sharpened to a razor edge as well as any other material, however it will cut much better than other materials with an equivalent edge because it is much slicker. Steels have a greater tendency to grab in the cut. The grabbing creates more work and dulls the edge faster

On the other hand, zknives says
*** To me the bottom line is, that Talonite should hold the mediocre edge (let's define it as not shaving, but still able to slice through the free hanging paper easily) for a long time, however it will dent, roll and deform on hard impacts, making it les preferable for the large, heavy duty use blades, such as Battle Mistress, Project I or Jereboam II.

The slickness is why I thought the Talonite would be a VERY cool razor material. Question is still the keenness of edge. It has something to do with the cobalt carrying the carbides, and not actually doing the cutting (??).

Jeff

This is the question. At the keenness required of a razor, would cobalt be too soft? I dont want to be the one to shell out the kind of money it would take to perform this experiment unless I knew.

Originally Posted by TURNMASTER

The slickness is why I thought the Talonite would be a VERY cool razor material. Question is still the keenness of edge. It has something to do with the cobalt carrying the carbides, and not actually doing the cutting (??).

Jeff

That was (is) my question also. I guess the thing to do would be to contact one of the very few who make knives out of that or Dendritic Cobalt and ask them for an opinion.

I'm wondering about A-2
The common theme in good razor steel seems to be low vanadium (largest carbides) and high carbon. A2 fits the bill! And I read that it specifically is designed to be an upgrade in edge holding and keenness over O1

Anyone worked with this?

I'm also thinking n690. Vg10 is good stuff, I'm wondering about using its american clone in a razor

Talonite/Stellite are the joy of only two makers I know, and that because they are oppositional and have essentially no competitors. Grinding this stuff will be the least fun job you will ever have. Buy twice the amount of abrasives you think you need then add another 50%. Honing them will be something you will have to become good at. I suspect that there are some here who will step up to hone them for you. I also suspect it will be a one-time experience for them and they will not look forward to a second helping. This stuff eats abrasives.

With T/S you won't need to worry about heat treatment. For the M-series steel variants you mention from Bohler-Uddeholm or Latrobe, you will need someone to heat treat them who has experience with those specific alloys. CPM154 is a very good steel for razors as some makers here have done them. Not such a complicated heat treatment regimen but not for the inexperienced either. These expensive high tech, high alloy steels are quite capable, but they are mostly overkill unless you are after the high coolness factor. You'll get good hardness for sure, but with that comes chipping.

O-1 is highly underrated. There is nothing wrong with old, simple, boring steels. One of the hardest traps to avoid is chasing off after the next wunderstahl...

I'm looking for overkill specifically for the coolness factor. If Ijust wanted to shave, I would have stuck with my mach 3.
I dont have any way to ht myself. I will send everything to Peters HT

since nobody has mentioned it how about another two of my favorites. S90V and ZDP189???