ranger said:
Firstly, apart from ease of sharpening, what is the reason that bushcrafters are on the whole so anti stainless steel? (Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question)
and
What out of all the stainless steel would you recommend for a bushcraft knife and why?
Many thanks
ranger
Ahhh, that old chestnut.
Well, I'll divide my answer into 3 sections, practical, artistic and spiritual.
OK, if you look at a scandi ground blade, the edge is usually around 40 degrees. That's very thin, but very, very sharp. It's also ideal for woodwork - the main function of a bushcraft knife. Bushcraft knives get used hard, then get whacked into wood with battons and get generally abused. So the knife needs to be tough. For the most part, carbon steel can be thought of as tougher than stainless, not harder, but tougher. Stainless can be hard and brittle, though not always. For a scandi style blade, abused with battons, the knife may be prone to chipping. The hardness of stainless, would make the blade very difficult to reprofile yourself, though not impossible. If the edhe of a carbon steel blade, gets dinked or rolled, which is a real possibility, it's a relatively easy job to re-hone a new edge onto it. A tough thing to do with a stainless blade. For the same reasons, stainless can be hard to sharpen, probably requiring diamond hones. That's OK, but you may not always have diamond hones. What if all you have it a bit of old rock? You can use it on a carbon blade, but forget it with a stainless blade, you'll be there all week - longer! So, why carbon, well ease of sharpening, easy to maintain and tough.
Artistic, well shiny stainless is a product of the 20th century and it screams of it. Carbon, over time, takes on a patina, a natural finish, etched into the blade from acids in things you cut. It add a beauty you'll never see on a stainless blade. The carbon knife, looks every bit the earthy, object of natural beauty. The stainless blade will always be pristine and shiny.
Spiritual, well bushcrafters tend to like to do things the hard way. Fire by friction or flint and steel, rather than a lighter. It's about the skills used to create such, rather than just getting the fire going. Same with a knife, maintaining a carbon knife in good order, is a real skill in itself, one that cant easily be practiced with a stainless blade. The carbon knbife is understood, iron ore, charcoal, heat, hammers and anvil - all very earthy, natural things. Stainless, is a 20th century alloy of chrome and iron and others - it has no soul.
That said, nothing wrong with stainless, use it if that's what you want. it'll make a good knife. Go for Crucible S30v, the best of the bunch.
