Better than Steel?

scdub

scdub

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May 29, 2004
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I just changed the title to something a little bit spicier (along with a bump) to see if that generates any interest.

From the description, this has potential to be amazing blade material… No?
 
scdub said:
I just changed the title to something a little bit spicier (along with a bump) to see if that generates any interest.

From the description, this has potential to be amazing blade material… No?
Click to expand...
Might be useful for space exploration or other extreme cold temps ? 🤔

Really , I only understood very little of the article . Not my area at all ! 🤤
 
Maybe as the outer layers for a san-mai type of construction, with a high-hardness core, but it doesn't sound like it would hold an edge very well.
 
CrCoNi, the material the article talks about, seems to have been developed for spacecraft, and doesn't sound like a very good choice for blade steel.

The larger family of materials, called High Entropy Alloys (HEAs), shows some promise. Their characteristics seem to be more easily controlled than some conventional alloys, resulting in more predictable behavior.

I found a Wikipedia article on the general topic, which is still spiked with a fair amount of jargon. What I took away from it, is that this class of alloys is potentially excellent for bridges, tall buildings, crane cables, and more on-topic for us, things like axes and machetes. Things which need to be able to withstand high impact, but aren't expected to hold a thin, sharp, edge. Think of it like an even tougher version of S7, and you'll have the general idea. I bet they make great armor plate, too.

As for everyday carry knives, where a balance of "hard" and "tough" is advantageous? I'm not sure this is the right swimming pool to be fishing in....
 
Poking around some more I found this article that describes the hardness of the alloy as cold-rolled at room temperature (reducing thickness by 70%) to be 468 HV, which works out to about 47 HRC.


Probably not hard enough for most knives but I don’t know that they were going for maximum hardness here. I believe that’s still harder than hardened/beta titanium which is also arguably suited for some knives. Still seems promising - maybe I’ll try to score a bar somewhere…

ETA: Like maybe a whip sword!!?!
DC20B9E9-3494-4B83-B84D-423D2268F2CA.jpeg

Anyway thanks for the feedback everyone and please share any other interesting materials you’re aware of. 👍👍
 
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scdub said:
Any other new materials that aren’t yet used for blades but you’d like to see tried out?
Click to expand...

Not exactly a new knife material per se, but I am impatiently waiting on the HIC (High-Impact Ceramic) Spyderco Mule to be released.
I never did try any when the ceramic kitchen knife crazy hit some years back because of talk about edge brittleness.
 
I had a Mad Dog ceramic frequent flyer, and while it wasn't really brittle, it was more brittle than steel. And while it did hold its edge, the edge was not that sharp and very obtuse. The ceramic did not support a thin edge.

I have made knives with Stellite as well and it performs well on rope and meat, but I found the material a bit too soft, it deforms very easily. But it does cut well and is corrosion proof.
 
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