316 stainless steel....Indian "throwing hatchet"

[ichor]

Someone please tell me about 316 stainless steel. Are knives made of this? The only thing I've ever seen made from this material is a so-called "stylized Indian Throwing hatchet(Arknsaw Throwing Axe) " Please enlighten me.

 

[frank k]

316 is not suitable for knives, since it is not hardenable by heat treating and it is not capable of holding an edge. 316 is widely used where hardenability is not needed - it is very tough and rust resistant.

Here's some more details on 316 -

http://www.suppliersonline.com/propertypages/316.asp


- Frank

 

[Keith Montgomery]

You will not find regular knives made from 316. It only has .08 percent carbon and it also contains from 10 to 14 percent nickel. This means you are not going to be able to harden this steel. This is ok for throwing knives and hatchets. I have also seen it used on inexpensive dive knives because of its high corrosion resistance and low price.