I am in Scotland on Business at the moment and found a couple blades made by a local that I am interested in and need some of your thoughts. Aside from the blade itself, this is my first trip to Scotland and I am from Scottish descent so there is a bit of a souvenir factor for me as well. Description send from the seller: I hand make them by stock removal. Epoch Straight Razors. I have two available, one just under 11/8 which is 1095 steel sporting a hamon at £350 and another, 8/8 01 tool steel at £250.
1095 steel is heat treated in a kiln to critical temp then is quenched in oil that is preheated to 50c, then tempered in oven at 260c for 2 hours giving it an Rockwell hardness of 59-60rc. 01 tool steel is basically the same but tempered at 210c for rc of 61. Both razors are shave ready and have videos on YouTube of the hanging hair test
Whichever you like most. If it were me, I would get a smaller blade, than those two. Smaller is more maneuverable . I would also get one that is more rounded, less likely you will get hurt, being you are new to Straights. Or get what you like, and learn on another blade. Then use the large custom blade when your more proficient.
I only have 5/8 and 6/8 razors. However, the second razor looks stunning. That is my preference. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
I definitely understand your logic on this, however I am taking into account the souvenir factor. I think the big question here is should there be that much of a cost difference between the 2 types of steel? From what I have been reading, it seems 01 may actually be the more preferred steel for an SR. I gotta agree with Light on this one, the second is a beautiful shape, but were talking sterling pounds here, that puts it at $450...
The second one looks nicer. If you can afford it, buy it. And, no, there shouldn't be a that much of a difference between the two razors, material wise. Nkw, the second, larger razkr, is more intricate, and looks to require more time to make. That is where the price difference comes into play.
Is there a difference in the grind between the two? I would base the purchase off of the preferred grind. I did some looking into him, and he seems to know what he's doing. I don't think you would go wrong buying either.
I haven't actually honed any of his razors yet He started with SR's in 2015 learning to Hone and Restore which is a good thing, and the steel sounds like he is reaching the right RHC targets Either one of those steels would interest me, I might lean toward the 01 a touch more
#1 looks like a RigaRazor to me. That's why #2 interests me more. That, and #2 looks to have a more hollow grind.
There is a bit of setup to get the grain structure optimized. It’s not just about the hardness or the steel it’s made from. You can have quality steel and text book heat treat and temper and still have a substandard razor. I know just enough to be able to say that but not enough for a great explanation. All the weird stuff aside. let’s presume the maker knows exactly what he is doing and then all that is left is to pick which razor you think is the most cool. I’d go with the second one.
You might want to PM Jamie Mahoney (he’s in Wales) and has some GB made razors. He might be able to lend some insight.