Swedish Steel - What's that about?

[slackskin]

From time to time, various product ads and blog posts loudly proclaim the advantages of Swedish steel in producing razor blades. Maybe my research skills are not top notch, but I can't find any explanations about what makes it allegedly so wonderful. Different materials? Different manufacturing process? Merely a folk tale? Can anyone help me with some hard information? No pun intended -- steel, hard, punny heh, heh.

Thanks for your expertise.

[desertbadger]

This is how it was explained to me many years ago; Swedish steel was top notch because of the quality of the metallurgy involved, the process in which all the ingredients were integrated, and the quality control and precision were second to none. Not just for razor blades, but for all the steel.

Regards,
David

[brothers]

Re: straight razors made of Swedish steel: They accept and hold an edge and shave remarkably well.

[BeatlesFan]

I'm afraid that I know nothing about metallurgy, but I wonder if steel quality in general, and maybe Swedish steel in particular, might have been a crucial factor in the quality of the vintage powerhouse razor blades of the 60's and 70's. . . .?

Either that or the manufacturers must have done something special with the grind or something? I don't know, but at a guess steel quality was a factor and I imagine that there is some valid basis for Swedish steel's reputation.

[slackskin]

Thanks for all your input. I had first asked my uncle who was a metal broker for his entire career, and thus knowledgeable about such things. He said that he knew about the claims to superiority of Swedish steel, but not the reason behind it. He even asked me to let him know the results of my search.This really surprised me, so I asked the forum.

[brothers]

You guys probably already saw this, but wikipedia says:

It was possible to produce quality steel in Europe, by importing the highly valued Swedish iron. Although it was not understood at the time, the Swedish ore contained very low levels of common impurities, leading to higher quality irons and steels from otherwise identical techniques applied to other ores. Swedish bar iron was packed into stone boxes in layers with charcoal in between them and heated in a furnace for an entire week. The result was a bar of metal known as blister steel - the surface of the bars became uneven from a multitude of blisters (or blebs) - which varied in quality from one bar to the next and within each bar. A number of blister rods were then wrapped into a larger bundle and re-heated and hammer-forged to mix together and even out the carbon content, resulting in the final product, shear steel. Germany was particularly well invested in this process, largely due to being physically close to Sweden, and became a major steel exporter in the 18th century. The technique was the cementation process.

[slackskin]

Thanks, Gary, for the information.

[ShadowsDad]

Very interesting.

[KAV]

Swedish iron ore contains a high percentile of copper. In pre stainless steel,crome lining AND corrosive propellants days their gunbarrels were more resistant to wear and pitting.

[mikey]

Apparently, this is also why those old Volvos are of such legendary durability.

Thanks,
Mike

[dosco]

Apparently, this is also why those old Volvos are of such legendary durability.

Thanks,
Mike

Uhm, on a mildy related note and certainly not "Gentlemanly" ... a gent with whom I used to work had an absolutely beat-up, rode hard and put away wet Volvo. It was brown in color (not just the rust, haha) ... so we naturally referred to it as "The Swedish Turd."

Ahem.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[slackskin]

Dosco, you will love this one.

Back in the day, I had a college friend with a Volvo whose throw-out bearing failed -- which of course made it impossible to shift gears. Being college kinds with no money, the three of us proceeded to jack up the car in the parking lot, drop the transmission out of the car (only hand tools and muscle, no power tools etc), buy a new bearing and button the whole thing back up. Thinking we were hot stuff, Jim fired up the car to take a joy ride -- only to find that the BRAND NEW bearing (a genuine Timken bearing, not a cheapie) was faulty. OK -- so we go through the whole process a second time (and now it's raining). The auto parts store gave us the second bearing for free -- how "nice" of them, given that they sold us a faulty one a few hours prior. The bottom line -- because the car was so hard to work on, it acquired a new name: The Swedish Whore. The three of us still remember the incident to this day -- some 50 years after it happened.

Now, back to swedish steel - - - -

[BeatlesFan]

Dosco, you will love this one.

Back in the day, I had a college friend with a Volvo whose throw-out bearing failed -- which of course made it impossible to shift gears. Being college kinds with no money, the three of us proceeded to jack up the car in the parking lot, drop the transmission out of the car (only hand tools and muscle, no power tools etc), buy a new bearing and button the whole thing back up. Thinking we were hot stuff, Jim fired up the car to take a joy ride -- only to find that the BRAND NEW bearing (a genuine Timken bearing, not a cheapie) was faulty. OK -- so we go through the whole process a second time (and now it's raining). The auto parts store gave us the second bearing for free -- how "nice" of them, given that they sold us a faulty one a few hours prior. The bottom line -- because the car was so hard to work on, it acquired a new name: The Swedish Whore. The three of us still remember the incident to this day -- some 50 years after it happened.

Now, back to swedish steel - - - -

So . . . after that 2nd bearing was in . . . did it shift OK? And I still remember those old-school Volvo gearshifts -- about 4 feet long with a huge throw. Slowest shfiting of any vehicle I've ever driven (but somehow captivating nonetheless -- quirky, like everything about those old Volvos!)

It's really a pity for kids today -- cars are so much harder to tinker around with. I doubt there'll be too many stories like that from this generation!

[dosco]

Dosco, you will love this one.

Back in the day, I had a college friend with a Volvo whose throw-out bearing failed -- which of course made it impossible to shift gears.

...

The bottom line -- because the car was so hard to work on, it acquired a new name: The Swedish Whore. The three of us still remember the incident to this day -- some 50 years after it happened.

Now, back to swedish steel - - - -

Haha, excellent!

Now, did you know that you can shift gears in a manual transmission without using the clutch?

[slackskin]

Yes, we could be macho and shift without a clutch, or be really macho and double-clutch (even though it wasn't necessary, it was cool that you could do it). A white '59 Volvo, can't remember the model but I bet Jim remembers it since it was his car.

A year later, my father bought my first car -- a brand new '64 Chevy II that cost $2,500.12 out the door. And yes, I do remember the exact amount, which I considered an astronomical sum at the time. Bought it from Val Strough Chevrolet in Oakland CA, a venerable business in the same location from 1934 to about 2000. I was so sad when it died, just alike all the other old-line car dealers in Oakland.

[dosco]

Yes, we could be macho and shift without a clutch, or be really macho and double-clutch (even though it wasn't necessary, it was cool that you could do it).

Yes, I do enjoy my heel-toeing.

[CMur12]

...A white '59 Volvo, can't remember the model but I bet Jim remembers it since it was his car. ...

Ah yes! 1959 was the first year for the PV544 (544 for short), with the B16 (1.6 liter) engine and the 4-speed transmission.

The preceding model was the 444, which had a B14 engine and a 3-speed (on the floor) transmission.

The 544 was seen as a sports sedan that could also do family duty and it created quite a sensation.

I think Volvo's most rugged and most famous engine was the B18, with 5 main bearings, that came out in 1962.

The Volvos of the 1960s, the 122S in particular, were my favorite cars.

- Murray

[brothers]

Murray, I can envision that you have a solid original Volvo resting quietly somewhere out back in the shed.

[CMur12]

Murray, I can envision that you have a solid original Volvo resting quietly somewhere out back in the shed.

Gary, I wish I did!

Though I really don't have the money for such a thing, if I found the opportunity to get a 1965 - 1967 Volvo 122S in good condition for a decent price, I would have a hard time passing it up!

One of my first car pamphlets was for the 1966 Volvo 122S, and I still have it! I also still have a pamphlet for the 1967 122S, which would be my favorite. Additionally, I still have a pamphlet for the 544 in Dutch that a local dealer found on its shelves after the car had ceased production in 1965. (My first car pamphlet and my first real automotive passion was for the 1963 MG 1100.)

- Murray

PS. I might add, in response to slacksin's post above (and to bolster my macho standing on this forum ) that I drive a car with a stick shift and that I double-clutch routinely, though I have never felt the need to heel-and-toe.

[slackskin]

So we're saying that Murray would like a customized 67 Volvo 122S with a two-speed rear end?? Or was that with duel rear wheels? I missed it. Guess I will have to pay closer attention.