how does big blade react in extreme cold weather?

Spirch

Spirch

Joined
Apr 4, 2012
Messages
535
should i be cautious of using let say sykco 1311 in temperature of -20 celcius(-4 fahrenheit) or lower?

what about the coating?

and a to be more general, what about other type of steel ? like 1095, 3v, etc?
 
It shouldnt react at all plus -4 isnt exactly what id call "extreme"

When you bring it back inside id take it out of the sheath and wipe off the condesation and wipe on a bit of oil but beyond that i wouldnt worry.
 
That is not extreme cold. I was expecting you to say -50 or-100 F or something. If there are issues with the steel (brittle), I would say the knife is defective.
 
Steels not going to really change much until down around -50 or so and even then, just by a small margin. Other materials may become brittle down around there. A kydex sheath at -40 or so is not so good.
 
ok, i knew there was a point where it could get brittle, i didn't know it was that low

thanks! :)
 
My Step-dad was a convoy commander on the AlCan Highway project. One problem was the high frequency of leaf spring fractures in Winter months. So I took it as true, that at least some steels become brittle in Canadian Winter temperatures.

This information probably means more to some here than it does to me

It is found almost exclusively in ferritic steels, however, that a sharp drop in Izo-d value occurs at temperatures around 0°C (see Figs. 1 and 2).
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http://steel.keytometals.com/Articles/Art48.htm

I believe a good refernce for you is the API-650 code on steel tanks....A36 carbon steel is permitted for use in tank shells to -4F and lower without any concern for brittle failure

The first cousin of A36 is ASTM A53/A106 Grade B (piping material). Use is permitted to -20F according to ASME B31.1/B31.3, however this is a "fully killed" steel and properties are slightly better than A36.

What does the AISC manual say about this....
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http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=87356

[Stainless] Steels with ferritic or martensitic structures show a sudden change from ductile (safe) to brittle (unsafe) fracture over a small temperature difference. Even the best of these steels show this behaviour [sic] at temperatures higher than -100 deg C and in many cases only just below zero.

In contrast austenitic steels only show a gradual fall in the impact toughness value and are still well above 100 J at -196 deg C. See Selection of stainless steels for cryogenic applications.
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http://www.bssa.org.uk/faq.php?id=26
 
I would not run away from using a chopper in cold.

The great thing is that a Scrapyard chopper has just about the best warranty you can think of. Chop the heck out of something in -100 degree cold, and if it chips or breaks, call the shop. They will take great care of you.
 
I've used thin machetes very hard in sub-zero temps with no problems whatsoever. I wouldn't worry too much.
 
There should be no problems for cold weather use. I use machetes in cold weather hacking back brush on my trails and never a chip. A chainsaw chain is made up of many small knives callled scratchers and they hold up with no problems and I do alot cutting of firewood during the winter months. Use your knife with confidence.
 
we manufactured drilling equipment for the Artic and the Sharpy hardnss test was at -20 degrees F
 
I would not worry about it either. HOWEVER, if it was a true survival situation, i would not baton with it unless i absolutely had to. If you ever watch Ice Road Truckers, you will know that metal can & does fail at those extreme temps, but it is subjected to uber amounts of stress carrying those loads & hitting some of those holes.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I've used thin machetes very hard in sub-zero temps with no problems whatsoever. I wouldn't worry too much.
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Actually, machetes work well because they are usually considerably softer than std knives so they have a measure of toughness to them at the loss of edge holding, so what you said makes perfect sense.
 
Cobalt said:
Actually, machetes work well because they are usually considerably softer than std knives so they have a measure of toughness to them at the loss of edge holding, so what you said makes perfect sense.
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They may be around RC 55, but they're also quite thin. I would be leery of using high hardness steel in extreme cold weather, but I find that those steels/heat treatments are generally used in knives not likely to be used in that kind of setting anyhow. :)
 
Generally speaking, for cold weather rough use, you want a steel with as low a cabon content as you can stand. The ductile to brittle transition is very sensitive to carbon content; the more carbon, the higher the transition temperature is and the broader the range over which the transition occurs. Steels with nickel, like the above mentioned L6, are tougher at lower temperatures. As far as I know this is a rare thing, but steels quenched after/between temper cycles are tougher in cols weather.

If you already have the knife, you'll have to see with some prior testing. It's not that common an issue really. The above steps are for purpose designed cold use knives.
 
Im a little late but the only blades I have ever had fracture happened in cold weather. Steel contracts and expands in very little change in temperature so I would certainly be careful anytime near freezing conditions
 
Never had a knife break on me in the winter. And I go camping in January and split wood all winter for what it's worth.
And -100 f?? Where the heck are you that it get's that cold? I live in one of the coldest cities in the world and it only dips below -45 C(equal to about -50 f) a few times a year...not including the windchill of course
 
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