Forging vs Stock Removal

M

Marc Cooper

Joined
Apr 7, 2019
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60
Hey All

I've been making knives for a few years as a hobby/part-time business and I find myself at an impasse.

While I actually prefer forging carbon steels like 1080, most of my clients prefer stainless "lab-steel" knives. This has pushed me towards buying a pair of digital kilns, Liquid Nitrogen dewar and even a Rockwell hardness tester in the past couple years. These knives are primarily stock removal due to the complications/reality of forging modern lab made stainless steels. (Not to mention it is infinitely cheaper/easier to just buy flat bar, as these steels can be very pricey.)

While I love the science that goes into modern steels, (big S35V and Nitro-V fan), I'm not sure I take the same pride from my "stock removal" stainless knives. They somehow lack the character defining flaws of my forged blades. That being said, 90% plus of my clients want the benefits of modern stainless. (I live in one of the most salt-laden places on earth so I can understand why.)

Anyone else shifting more towards stock removal knives due to their consumers demanding modern stainless steels?

Have been thinking about this a lot lately. Just wondering if anyone else here is experiencing the same.
 
i take more pride in my stock removal stainless blades, because i am terrible at forging :rolleyes: i did high carbon for the first 12 years or so, but i noticed everyone seems to want SS like you did. it bothered me that my knives were not as well accepted simply because of the steel they were made of, but it also bothered me that most of my knives would become discolored and possibly corrode/rust over time. i am happy doing SS now, i still do high carbon now and then.
 
I don't have customers requiring SS or lab steel knives...but I've been exploring it myself, AEB-L, Z wear, .
I'm even doing small run of high carbon stock removal.

I just don't get the same personal pleasure and experience from a stock removal knife. It's too much grinding.
Forging gives me more freedom in various ways.

with this said, most of my work is laminated steel, High carbon core and stainless cladding.
I also think that this steel is the most workable (for me) and most efficient all around.
Perhaps that is something you could explore.
 
My customers primarily order stainless, but some of them actually prefer old school high carbon blades though. They like the patina, it gives the knives character they say. But in total, most of my blades are stock removal stainless steel.

But lately I've been making more and more laminated steel, mostly with stainless cladding. They're fun to make and I think they look great, but they take a lot more time to make (I'm pretty new at it). I aim to continuously learn new techniques and increase the difficulty level of my knifemaking. As this is a a hobby for me I can afford to spend the time to make up for lack of experience.
 
Most of my customers ask what I recommend which is great so I can try different alloys. I generally ask them what they’re going to use their knife for and how they truthfully will take care of it. If they’re going to just throw it in a tackle box for a year, I’ll recommend something that won’t rust easily. If they want an acid etched blade, I’ll go with either aeb-L, A2, or 26c3. If they want something that’s going to take abuse I go with 3V.
I don’t often get requests for forged blades.
When I forge a blade I usually give it away to family or friends (because I’m not very good at it). But I like forging way more than stock removal.
 
HSC /// said:
I'm even doing small run of high carbon stock removal.

I just don't get the same personal pleasure and experience from a stock removal knife. It's too much grinding.
Forging gives me more freedom in various ways.

with this said, most of my work is laminated steel, High carbon core and stainless cladding.
I also think that this steel is the most workable (for me) and most efficient all around.
Perhaps that is something you could explore.
Click to expand...
I understand what are you saying , but while you light the fire in your forge I would be done with bevels on both side :)
 
Customers often do not buy one style of knife. Knife buyers and collectors often have forged and stock removal knives in their collections.
 
I think the thing that drives the demand in my area is the environment.

Newfoundland is a very salty place. We have very rough seas and rocky coastlines. That makes for serious salt disbursement, even inland. Couple that with humidity, rain, fog and snow, and everything rusts here. You can't even find a vehicle over 2-3 years old without significant rust. It's crazy.
 
Marc Cooper said:
Considering who you are, that term is now banned from my vocabulary.

Big fan of your work! Your articles inspired me to buy this big boy and start testing my own steel.

Click to expand...
Hardness tester......................frankly I'm more interested in the contents of this fridge :D
 
My relation with forging could be described with this picture:
20200202_210809.jpg
Joke aside, like Marc said I think it's also about where you live. For example I am also in Canada. Since I am in the military, I have a couple (all?) of customers who are also military. When I tell them that if they take a carbon steel blade, there knife will rust if not properly taken care of, the instant expression of horror on there face is pretty funny. They simply do not want to add one more task to the job. So I mostly do stainless. So stock removal it is. I also just enjoy pushing things into a grinder and making sparks.
 
I think there is a misconception out there on carbon steel. It seams like a lot of people think carbon steel blades are rust bombs just waiting to explode. In all reality carbon steel does not require that much care. It really only requires about the same amount of care you should give any blade. Clean and wipe it down after use. My daily carry is a spiderco farid in cpm10v and I have owned it since it was released. It’s been clipped in my pocket every day since. For 3 years I ran a boiler and kilns at a lumber mill. Used it there to open 2-3 bags of salt every day for the water softeners. There is not a spot of rust or tarnish on the blade. You can see a few light stain marks up under where it pivots but nothing major. I would not trade this blade for any blade currently made. I don’t wash it but very rarely with some ethanol and a rag. Mostly I wipe it on my pants or a quick scrub with my shirt. If my wife gets ahold of it I will find all kinds of tape sticky on I from breaking down boxes. She loves the blade for cardboard. The steel is amazing and the knife is heavily used but only gets sharpened about twice a year. There is nothing I would change about it. Yeah sure stainless is nice for a few things but I’m generally happy with a good solid carbon steel alloy. Remember stainless steel is just carbon steel that’s hiding behind a thin layer of chromium oxide.
 
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