can anyone recommend a lab to test for steel composition?

D

Dmitry5

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Nov 6, 2017
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Looking to test a blank to figure out steel type. Any places that do this for a reasonable fee? Lots of places do this, but any more geared at knife industry?
 
There is a device I think called XRF. It is hand-held and shoots a small x-ray at the metal and you get a reading on composition. Google them, I think they are expensive but some companies leasing them out. I've seen experts use them on Pawn Stars to determine the composition of old metals, etc.
 
Peters heat treat offers this. I’ve had a few blades heat treated by them and they’ve been super easy to deal with. Below is the link


Peters heat treat
 
Check with your local university or community college. Some geology/earth science departments have them. Or ask them if they know who has x-ray spectroscopy equipment.
 
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Many of the XRF testers don’t work on lighter elements. Unfortunately for knife nuts that includes carbon, nitrogen, and some impurity elements.

Some of the newer ones may work, but sample prep becomes extremely critical. Imagine testing for carbon when you have fingerprints or a film of oil on the steel that hasn’t been removed completely.
 
Luvthemknives on YT sends batches of knives off for composition and Rockwell testing.
 
W
OW! That is sophisticated technology.

I think its called X-ray spectroscopy or something similar. A beam of x-rays is shot into the piece. The different atoms of each element present return a different signal that can be used to identify what is there.

I used to see instrumentation like that as specialized down hole tools in oil well drilling (what are the rocks and where is the oil?). This is in the realm of Mars Roer stuff.

That the technology can now be put into a hand held device costing about what a used car goes for is magic to me.

Might be something worth the money for a high end coin dealer or antique s operation.

I am not convinced that there is enough money to be made or lost for a knife application.
 
Antique and scrap dealers have been using them for at least 15 years. They’re great for that kind of thing.
 
me2 said:
Many of the XRF testers don’t work on lighter elements. Unfortunately for knife nuts that includes carbon, nitrogen, and some impurity elements.

Some of the newer ones may work, but sample prep becomes extremely critical. Imagine testing for carbon when you have fingerprints or a film of oil on the steel that hasn’t been removed completely.
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You are 100% correct!
 
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