Some of my first straights - need to make mwoar razors!

That would be "as quenched." Looks like I missed that up in my first comment. I never personally have tempered below 300F. I would expect something around 64-64.5 HRC at that temp. I normalize 1650F and do two cycles at 1460F followed by cooling in still air. Then austenitize at 1475F - 1500F for 10 min.
Most older straights would never have been that hard. But who knows as the makers sere sometimes using some fairly effective if not rather dangerous heat treating methods involving stuff like molten lead. With that said, I read years ago that DRY whiskers on someone who shaves regularly are about like copper wire. ;)
I used to have to strop after half a pass, until i kept the blade flat against my skin, but under my nose inhave to angle it a bit… so the tip still gets a bit blunted from sideways pressure… i have more of a tough than a hard beard… i recently saw a video where lateral pressure as the hairs bend over pulls the edge sideways… for little deflexions in the edge… it was quite informative so now i aim for a good heat treat so that i can aharpen at a more acute angle so that the hair is cut quicker and no distortion… the added toughness at same hardness or a little better would be great i think… maybe… perhaps… on the balance of probabilities… hence the new steel experiment… until we can get apex ultra or 1.2419 or 1.2519 out in the sticks
 
As long as i don’t do stupid ass things like grind a hole in the middle of the blade O1 does fine… sigh…
 

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A batch done for my retail partner
You, sir, are a fine craftsman to be able to grind steel that thin. If I'm not intruding on your secrets:
1) Do you use a coolant during grinding?
2) What size contact wheel do you use to get the hollow grind on the blades shown in the photos?
3) Do you use a jig or grind free hand?
Again, very impressive work!
 
You, sir, are a fine craftsman to be able to grind steel that thin. If I'm not intruding on your secrets:
1) Do you use a coolant during grinding?
2) What size contact wheel do you use to get the hollow grind on the blades shown in the photos?
3) Do you use a jig or grind free hand?
Again, very impressive work!
Ther are no secrets… and mistakes happen… and i am far from a fine craftsman yet, i am more of the good tool that might be rough around the edges category… but i know a few who fit the bill… and they are most generous with their knowledge…

i do grind freehand, i think a jig would make me more consistent, but i worry i might get lazy and let the jig do the designs… and once it gets thin, i think a jig might give rise to mistakes and overheating… the edge gets so thin it flexes quite a bit in the grind, so the precision will be lacking anyways…

a toolrest is however an easy win, but idon’t use that either, as i usually have a batch of razors going with differing grinds… to reduce heat buildup, and getting in a rut and making mistakes… it is however quite useful for the first bulk grinds, as you can lean into the steel better.

most important variable speed grinding… go slow… apply pressure to ensure steel removal and grit exposure on the belt.
Ceramic belts… and swop to fresh ones, once you get to an edge below 1/25” you are aiming for 1/250th in the end… i swop to 80 or even 120 grit when it gets thin… makes for better control and shallower scratches, also removes metal faster at lower pressure.

i use a water spray bottle… with soapy water… a continuous misting setup would be better…

that one was a3” wheel… but i start all grinds on a 12” wheel, and grind toll the edge is ready, and leave some of the razors like that as near wedges, they offer a different shave that i like… 10” wheel might be slightly better… then start hollowing out the grind with a 2-3” wheel… it is very easy to over grind one side during this phase as you have very little reference so watch what you are doing
 
The hardest thing when edges get this thin, is to keep them even in thickness so that it flexes the same everywhere, if not you get bits that won’t sharpen, or bits that sharpen a divot… and you very quickly double the stiffness of the edge in some sections
 
A few more…
 

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