How brittle is D2?

Three posts moved to Service & Support: On Cliff's banning.
Let's please keep this most productive thread on track on D2.
 
gunmike1 said:
How is your cultishly popular SKD-11 knife comparing to your Takeda? Does the marginal deficit in cutting ability by the slightly thicker and more obtuse edge get overcome by the much superior corrosion resistance and additional toughness for your cooking?
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On some cuts, the thinness of the Takeda is sorely missed, on most, though, it's not enough to make a difference. If I were going to make five pounds of french fries from fairly large potatoes or dice a bushel of apples, the Takeda would be a night-and-day improvement over any other knife I've used - otherwise, if I were dicing bags of bell peppers and onions and cutting meats, I'd go for SKD-11/D2-bladed Yoshikane or some other high-hardness stainless (D2 is stainless in my world, even with the minor staining on my D2 kitchen knife) like an SG-2 Shun Kaji or Ryusen Blazen - i.e., most of the time. But if you're one of the people who've used an 8 degree edge and can't go back, keep it that way and save your D2 dollars for a Krein Ultimate Caper and/or Spyderco Millie in CPM-D2. Others, who don't wany an 8 degree edged kitchen knife could maybe sell you their Kreinage to raise funds for a D2 kitchen knife. That's All State's stand.
 
Okay, after reading 90% of this thread, and also having recieved and read the latest 2 issues of Blade Magazine... I hafta ask: Wayne Goddard, and Knives of Alaska, are now on about a new process for creating a "super" D2... Friction Forged D2.
In reading the articles, it's my understanding that through inducing localized intense pressure and creating intense frictionally induced heat, a process of "stirring" the steel breaks the crystalline structure down into even finer crystals than is possible either thru the manufacturing process or the traditional forging process...

Anyone on here familiar with this "new" process? And has anyone any real world experience with the resultant blade?

Thanks in advance!
 
there was another big flame war over FFD2. there are some test results posted, but I don't think there's many 'real world' reports, it's still a new company.
 
I have not tried one of the new FFD-2 blades. IF it is all it is claimed it is pretty impressive to say the least.

The problem for makers like me and most other "smaller" makers is that it is done with technology outside our scope of availability!!

Tom
 
It's also done outside the scope of many people's bank accounts.
(Might as well go custom? :) )
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Good question. My search brought up a lot of threads, many only peripherally interesting. This one is good, though: Just received my DiamondBlade, FFD2 !!! .

Maybe if you post over there, Troop will add a followup.
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Thanks for the link; I'll read up on that one... however, I do think whatever I learn there will still be pertainent to this thread as people will always use a knife for something other than what it was made for, so I'll be interested to see if the smaller grain structure offers a possible negation to the "chipping edge" issues that seem to have started all this bruhaha! :D

And to all that have seriously added to my enlightenment on another aspect of knives, steel and their making - My hat's off to y'all! (Only momentarily though, not enough hair left to keep the noggin uncovered too long! :D )
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Good question. My search brought up a lot of threads, many only peripherally interesting. This one is good, though: Just received my DiamondBlade, FFD2 !!! .

Maybe if you post over there, Troop will add a followup.
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I doubt it. I think Cliffy pushed him out of his own Thread.

I was reduced to PMing Troop to thank him for sharing. I really enjoyed reading about his experience and will now follow progress in this technology area rather closely.

I would certainly like to run an X-ray diffractometry and tomography test on this material. I'll bet the ordering and crystalline dimensions will turn out to be quite interesting. It would also be very interesting to see how much residual micro-stress remains after the heat treat...

But that's all just the naive geek in me! :D
 
OldPhysics said:
I would certainly like to run an X-ray diffractometry and tomography test on this material. I'll bet the ordering and crystalline dimensions will turn out to be quite interesting. It would also be very interesting to see how much residual micro-stress remains after the heat treat...
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You could start up a whole website on Cutlery Science. :p
 
I've only read the question and no responses so sorry to repeat anything. My experiences with D2 have been great and i havent had any issues with brittleness.
 
I think part of the discussion is foundering on failure to define "brittle". We could say that a steel is brittle if it tends to shatter under destructive stress, rather than to bend or roll. A secondary question would be what constitutes destructive stress for a particular steel and heat treat and blade geometry.
 
A secondary question would be what constitutes destructive stress for a particular steel and heat treat and blade geometry.
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I know the answer to that one. He was just banned.

I'm with Tom on the FFD2. I like everything I have heard and read but its not something I could do. I do like the added rust resistance its supposed to add but it sounds like it brings a lot more benefit than just this.

I'd love to play with some on several mediums here like old carpet and hemp rope I use on other knives. I've cut these things with D2 blades enough I think to get a good comparison in my mind if FFD2 was a step up or not.

STR
 
STR said:
I know the answer to that one. He was just banned.

I'm with Tom on the FFD2. I like everything I have heard and read but its not something I could do. I do like the added rust resistance its supposed to add but it sounds like it brings a lot more benefit than just this.

I'd love to play with some on several mediums here like old carpet and hemp rope I use on other knives. I've cut these things with D2 blades enough I think to get a good comparison in my mind if FFD2 was a step up or not.

STR
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Of course, one of us has to 'man up' and actually buy one of these expensive blades! Since there's only one source, we can't expect a price reduction any time soon.

Guess I'll start the usual schizophrenic process of arguing with myself about a new 'investment'........ :o
 
You got it easy. I'll be arguing with myself and the wife too! :eek:

Seriously it would be a good one to try out. I'm sure one is in my future somehow. I'd like to get a nice little straight blade along the lines of the Dozier Personal in it and a regular D2 and run em side by side in some cutting tests on my own rather than read about it. But the readin' is good to get me psyched for it.

STR
 
STR said:
You got it easy. I'll be arguing with myself and the wife too! :eek:

Seriously it would be a good one to try out. I'm sure one is in my future somehow. I'd like to get a nice little straight blade along the lines of the Dozier Personal in it and a regular D2 and run em side by side in some cutting tests on my own rather than read about it. But the readin' is good to get me psyched for it.

STR
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Oh, I'm sure my Mrs. will have more than a little to say about this!

Meanwhile, here's what DiamondBlade says about one of only four of these knives:

Goddard Traditional Hunter

The Goddard Traditional Hunter is a classic knife and the popular choice of many.


Available Handles: (select one)
Black Micarta
Presentation Grade Desert Ironwood
Stag
Handle Black Micarta
Handle Details Tapered, Full-Tang, 3 Rivets
Steel Friction Forged D2 High Carbon Tool Steel
Spine Rc Hardness Rc 42-45
Blade Rc Hardness Rc 65-68
Blade Bevel 18º
Blade Depth 1.0"
Blade Thickness 0.115 - 0.120"
Blade Style Drop-Point-Spear Point Hybrid
Blade Length 4.0"
Knife Length 8.5"
Sheath Vegetable tanned, oiled, split-grained cowhide
Designer Wayne Goddard
Price $389.99

Just a little data to help the conversation along. The other three knives are 'around' this price, and all are nicely tricked out. The other three offer clip point, skinner, and classic drop point designs.
 
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