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Can this new steel be used in knives and would it be good?
- Thread starter Beast Steel
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Doubtful. The blurb says it has " the same strength-to-weight ratio as titanium", but is cheaper than titanium. But we don't worry about weight for a knife. Regular steel is stronger than titanium. It just weighs more.
Edited to add:
Let me re-phrase that to clarify. On a volume basis, steel is stronger than titanium. So if you have a bar of titanium and a bar of steel, each of the same dimensions, the steel bar will be stronger.
Edited to add:
Let me re-phrase that to clarify. On a volume basis, steel is stronger than titanium. So if you have a bar of titanium and a bar of steel, each of the same dimensions, the steel bar will be stronger.
Last edited:
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hmmm yea i'm curious, the steel they mentioned in the article mentions steel that is used to make engines,missiles,spacecraft........ so just because it is strong enough for those things doesnt mean it is also best for knife steel right?
knife steel is adapted specifically for knives so knife steel should still be specifically designed for knives right?
is the more weight on a blade the better? we need that weight for it to do things like chopping and other stuff right?
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Weight isn't always desirable in knives, it's just rarely that big a deal. Edge retention through a combination of wear resistance, toughness and corrosion resistance tends to be what people value most for knife blades.
This steel could be an interesting alternative to titanium for handle scales and framelocks, though.
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It could be a good thing, and become very popular, or it might be completely wrong for knives. Many of the materials used in knife handles were developed for Aerospace applications, so you never know.
From what I've read, 6Al4V is 40% stronger by weight than steel, and is 60% the weight of steel by cubic centimeter (volume). So, by volume, steel and titanium are almost identical in terms of structural strength, but titanium is 40% lighter* (steel is a bit stronger by volume, but not by much -- 1 or 2%, IIRC). That 3:5 density ratio compared to steel makes 6Al4V Titanium perfect as a handle material, in terms of creating a balanced knife.
Some steels are stronger than others, obviously, and the numbers above are approximate.
*http://www.aerospacemetals.com/titanium-ti-6al-4v-ams-4911.html
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IMO weight is not a factor in blade material selection. But you are correct that the alloys used in aerospace generally have different properties than those used for knife blades.
The steel alloys and tempers used for knife blades are harder (stronger) than those used for aircraft parts, but are less brittle. We use a lot of 15-5 and 17-4 PH alloys in aerospace for strength. Use some 300 series for items that just have to be stronger than aluminum or require better heat resistance. The only parts made of 440C are bearings.
IIRC off the top of my head the steel alloys we use for aircraft structure have a Rockwell in the high 30's for the tempers commonly used. Knife alloys want to be greater than 55 for decent edge retention.
Standard 6-4 Titanium likewise has a hardness in the mid 30's. Not hard enough to make a good blade.
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Yes, I know. But those are not the ones we use in aerospace. The article referred to aerospace grade materials.