Boker Barbers Corner | BUSA Edition 2017 / 2018

BÖKER MANUFAKTUR SOLINGEN
13
CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURING
Forging and Hardening
The forge and hardening shop for
our carbon steel straight razors
uses the proven silver steel, which
is very tough and elastic, despite
its excellent edge retention. The
raw material is a rod which is cut
to length, creating the so called
splitter. The splitter is heated until
red hot, and drop forged with a
1,500 lb rammer. Next, the slugs
have to cool to 392°F for two days
in an annealing furnace. Then the
excess material created during the
forging process, the "wings," are
trimmed. The slugs are once again
straightened in a 200-ton press,
before going to the hardening shop.
In the hardening shop, the slugs are
hardened and annealed in order to
achieve the optimal combination of
edge retention and elasticity for the
material.
In the Grinding Shop - Production
of the Extra Hollow Grind with Belly
In the grinding shop, the extra
hollow grind with belly is created.
The slugs are ground in 18 individual
steps, from rough grinding, to
milling, to glazing. Between each
step, the blades are cleaned,
controlled, and straightened when
necessary. We exclusively grind our
straight razor blades extra hollow
with belly. The belly lies in front
of the strong hollow section and
just behind the edge, which has
a small hollow grind itself. The
belly is the only way in which the
blades can be ground out so thin
and still retain sufficient stiffness,
despite their elasticity. There are
only a handful of the best and most
specialized grinders in the world
that have mastered this ultimate
skill in straight razor production.
Depending on the model, the last
step is the matting or polishing of
the blade.
Finally, the blade is honed by hand
on several bench whetstones with
increasingly finer grits. After the
final stropping, the sharpness of the
straight razor is tested on a freely
suspended human hair.
In the Scales Department
The scales department manually
affixes nickel silver pins, washers,
and spacers to the blades. Wood
and stag require special dexterity,
as these natural materials can tear
when too much pressure is applied.
Widths and Heads
The shapes of straight razors are
mainly determined by national
and local traditions and personal
preferences. However, the different
shapes have different benefits. The
widths of the blades are given in
inches. An 8/8" blade is one inch
wide, a 4/8" blade half an inch wide.
The 5/8" blade is the most common
POINT/HEAD SPINE ETCHING/LASERING
HOLLOW
SCALE
EDGE
SCALE INLAY
width. Below 4/8", the blades are
used mainly by hairdressers to shave
the neck, or for contouring. A wide
blade glides over the skin more
steadily, due to its weight, and can
take on more soap and beard hairs
before having to be wiped. Narrow
blades are better for working on
inside curves and contouring. There
are various point/head shapes as
well - the rounded point, the straight
point, the French point, and the
Spanish point. The round point is
the easiest to handle. It is thus very
suitable for beginners. The defined
edges of the other heads provide
benefits for the precise creation of
contours.
SHOULDER
TANG STAMP
TANG/SHANK
SPACER PIN
PIVOT PIN
CROSS SECTION
OF BLADE
BELLY
TANG