O
othello
Guest
COuld someone please explain to me the differens between carbon and stainless steel blades. Please i know nothing about this thanks
Othello
Othello
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Ok here goes, its been 10 years since I touched metrology so some bits may not be 100%.
I'll start with the biggy, carbon steel rusts, stainless won't under normal usage.
Stainless is harder to sharpen and doesn't hold an edge as well as carbon.
I'll shut up now and leave it to the blade smiths from britsh blades to complete, but these give you an idea.
Simon
I'll start with the biggy, carbon steel rusts, stainless won't under normal usage.
Stainless is harder to sharpen and doesn't hold an edge as well as carbon.
I'll shut up now and leave it to the blade smiths from britsh blades to complete, but these give you an idea.
Simon
celtic dragon got the big points right.
whilst this was once certainly the case, these days there are many steels that blur the line between carbon and stainless, some of the"supersteels" or semi stainless, (he says not being able to think of a single example off the top of his head) :-? so it may not really be as true as it once was.
some of the super steels will take a finer edge and last longer than a good/plain old tool steel. but those supersteels may well be a bit more difficult to sharpen.
many of the edge retention characteristics are determined by the way the heat treatment is carried out. the name or designation of the steel isn't really the be all and end all of the question. talking longer term, it depends on how good the end user is at re-sharpening.
potentially a very big subject.
cheers,and.
whilst this was once certainly the case, these days there are many steels that blur the line between carbon and stainless, some of the"supersteels" or semi stainless, (he says not being able to think of a single example off the top of his head) :-? so it may not really be as true as it once was.
some of the super steels will take a finer edge and last longer than a good/plain old tool steel. but those supersteels may well be a bit more difficult to sharpen.
many of the edge retention characteristics are determined by the way the heat treatment is carried out. the name or designation of the steel isn't really the be all and end all of the question. talking longer term, it depends on how good the end user is at re-sharpening.
potentially a very big subject.
cheers,and.
Steels like D2 which are semi stainless will out perform just about every plain carbon steel for edge holding. However ductility does become a problem when you add lots of chrome to add the 'stain' LESS feature!
Moderm super steels like CPM 420V, S30V, CPM 3V and CPM 10V really stand head and shoulders over plain carbon steels in most areas, note 3V and 10V are not stainless but a hybrid steel.
Old school steels are easy to sharpen (carbon), stainless steels are harder to sharpen as the alloy mix forms more complex and harder carbides than plain iron carbides.
Treat all your tools with respect and they will perform well! Chose the knife that suits your needs and you can afford! As a rule of thumb quality starts at no less than £50! But there are exceptions...
I would start with stainless myself and once you get more experienced and careful, then try carbon steels. The rusting probs can be difficult to bear if you are not extreemly careful using your kit! :-D
Moderm super steels like CPM 420V, S30V, CPM 3V and CPM 10V really stand head and shoulders over plain carbon steels in most areas, note 3V and 10V are not stainless but a hybrid steel.
Old school steels are easy to sharpen (carbon), stainless steels are harder to sharpen as the alloy mix forms more complex and harder carbides than plain iron carbides.
Treat all your tools with respect and they will perform well! Chose the knife that suits your needs and you can afford! As a rule of thumb quality starts at no less than £50! But there are exceptions...
I would start with stainless myself and once you get more experienced and careful, then try carbon steels. The rusting probs can be difficult to bear if you are not extreemly careful using your kit! :-D
I love carbon steel, it's my absolute favourite for fixed blades. I have never had problems with them rusting, but then I do care for them properly (really not at all difficult, you just have to do it). It's a steel that offers almost perfect qualities for a good knife, but if you abuse and neglect it, it will rust.
For a long time, stainless has offered a poor compromise. There has been a struggle to develop a steel with good knife properties, that can handle being neglected, unfortunately, all too often with inferior results. That is untill recently, with the introduction of some sophisticated stainless alloys. It should be noted though, that the steels Wayne (The General) mentions above, are usually only found in custom, or very high end (expensive) production knives. Even now, it's still far more typical to find knives made of 440a (or worse), which perform far worse than carbon blades. But they will of course, rust-less.
For a long time, stainless has offered a poor compromise. There has been a struggle to develop a steel with good knife properties, that can handle being neglected, unfortunately, all too often with inferior results. That is untill recently, with the introduction of some sophisticated stainless alloys. It should be noted though, that the steels Wayne (The General) mentions above, are usually only found in custom, or very high end (expensive) production knives. Even now, it's still far more typical to find knives made of 440a (or worse), which perform far worse than carbon blades. But they will of course, rust-less.
Just out of interest. [This is probably a subject I should have posted on your site Martyn, british blades.com ] but now that the bushcraft knife is being hand made by Wilkinson Sword, can Alan Wood still make the woodlore knife, with the logo etc? Or is there a copywright issue? I notice there is no longer a link on raymears.com
Dave said:
I believe Ray Mears owns the intellectual rights to the design of the knife and so is up to him who he asks to make it for him. The Alan Wood knife is still available via raymears.com (go to page 2 on cutting tools). Both WS and Alan Wood are making knives according to Ray Mears specification, so there should not be any copyright infingement, so long as both have permission from Ray to do so.
ok, i'm wandering into a bit of a grey area for me but...
i think that part of the problems stem from the fact that many of the stainless steels have a much tighter processing window for the heat treat than the carbon steels. so the treatment needs to be much more precise for the stainless, whereas carbon steels are much more forgiving of a less precise treatment.
these days with microprocesor controlled ovens and the like manufacturers chave a much better chance of controlling their processes, so they can take more advantage of the newer super alloys.
quality does tend to start around fifty quid, if not more. unless you're looking at knives like frosts vikings, clippers and deck knives. then quality starts at around three pounds fifty. you will need to pay a visit to www.oldjimbo.com/survival and follow his instructions on setting up humble mora knives though. a very well worthwhile site. jim is actually a limey who emigrated to canada many years ago.
cheers, and.
i think that part of the problems stem from the fact that many of the stainless steels have a much tighter processing window for the heat treat than the carbon steels. so the treatment needs to be much more precise for the stainless, whereas carbon steels are much more forgiving of a less precise treatment.
these days with microprocesor controlled ovens and the like manufacturers chave a much better chance of controlling their processes, so they can take more advantage of the newer super alloys.
quality does tend to start around fifty quid, if not more. unless you're looking at knives like frosts vikings, clippers and deck knives. then quality starts at around three pounds fifty. you will need to pay a visit to www.oldjimbo.com/survival and follow his instructions on setting up humble mora knives though. a very well worthwhile site. jim is actually a limey who emigrated to canada many years ago.
cheers, and.
