composite blades

D

dfarm

Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Messages
260
Why are all of the composite blades that I've seen made up of two steels that could stand on their own? It seems like it could be a sweet way to get a premium steel cutting edge backed up with some bs steel on some lower end knives.

Just a thought I had while playing around with my tyrade.
 
Is the composite blade thing really a cheaper way of manufacturing? I always thought of it as a harder way of doing something more as bragging rights. Not because its easy or cheap to do. What Im saying is I think the cost your paying for with a composite blade is the process itself. And I dont see changing the spine steel as a huge cost savings.
 
I'd say it's a balance. The composite blade technology itself is very cool. Cool factors are a huge selling point, like new lock technologies, designs, etc. The process itself ups the price, but using a cheaper steel for the spine will help to mitigate that expense. Also, when Kershaw was using CPM-D2, I imagine that steel was available in smaller quantities, and it was a wiser choice to use small chunks of it.
 
I might be off-base here but isn't D2 rather brittle, and using Sandvik 14c28n as the backbone add durability? I thought I read it somewhere on the forum, and you know know what they say about information on the internet....
 
You're 99.9% right. The CPM D2 isn't that bad, but the added 14C28 gives the blade some ability to flex.
 
I love the way they look, and if theres some science behind them, that makes them perform better, I'm all for it :D
 
I've actually been curious as to how much of the blade is actually cutting steel (the non-Sandvik part). Does it actually follow the patterns etched on the blade? It seems impractical for it to do so, as that would be some pretty difficult machining -- making some pretty elaborate puzzle pieces and having an extremely small margins of error for them to fit together.

I'd expect that level of precision would come at a higher cost, which would increase overall production cost. I thought one of the goals of the composite blades was to offer a higher-end cutting steel without the cost of needing an entire blank of the more expensive steel, and it seems the pricing supports that (I wouldn't imagine a JYDII made of a single CPM-D2 blank would cost as little as it does).
 
^The welding joint does indeed follow that pattern in copper on the blade. That extra amount of surface area is what ensures that the joint is as strong as it is.
 
sticktodrum said:
^The welding joint does indeed follow that pattern in copper on the blade. That extra amount of surface area is what ensures that the joint is as strong as it is.
Click to expand...

I was impressed before with just the performance, design, and cost, but now I have to add the complexity of the production to that as well!
 
Aren't some of the blades 154cm with a d2 edge? 154cm isn't anything to sneeze at. I'd like to see something crazy too like mokume with an elmax edge or something.
 
dfarm said:
Aren't some of the blades 154cm with a d2 edge?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that was just the Tyrade (which is a special piece). Most of the other composites are 14C28N for the spine. The only other exception I can think of is the 0777 (no flame war intended).
 
dfarm said:
Aren't some of the blades 154cm with a d2 edge? 154cm isn't anything to sneeze at. I'd like to see something crazy too like mokume with an elmax edge or something.
Click to expand...

That would be insane.... Also very painful for the wallet I would think
 
I love Kershaw's CBs, all I have right now are a Leek, Tyrade, and a 350 that should be here today. I think a Shallot is next on my CB list, unless I can find an SG2 Blur....
 
CPM-D2 spine, Elmax edge. Oh yeah...

2013-02-03_23-51-17_957_zps52ed55c3.jpg
 
My cb collection is ; a leek, 2 g10 tyrades, and a jyd. I'd kind of like to have a rake, but it seems too similar to my jyd for me to talk myself into getting one.
 
I have the composite leek, and I think it's killer.
From all the pictures I see, however, the D2 is much darker than the Sanvik. On my blade they're identical in color. Is that due to a mild patina forming on the D2? I was tempted to let some citrus coat the blade for a while and see what happens but then I chickened out.

-Tony
 
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