INFI steel

L

Leather

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Did anyone ever figure out what INFI steel by Busse is comprised of and how they make it ?

Regards,

Leather
 
The alloy (elemental) make-up has been given and confirmed by Jerry and independent spectral analysis.

The heat treatment is a trade secret.

There has been much fuss about Busse knives in the last few days. Onr thing that was never disputed is that INFI Rocks!!!

It is unique in that it can ahve high levels of strength and toughness, whereas most steels it is a give and take between the too.

What is also nice about INFI is that it takes a nice fine toothed edged, that can really slice well, yet is suitable for woodcraft (with a thin edge applied :) :) :) )

Another neat trait is that INFI is remarkably resistant to rust, despite the fact that it only has a chromium content of 5%. I think the mid-range carbon content, as well as the cobalt and titanium are responsible, along with the nitrogen.

INFI also has incredible wear resistance, anyone trying to reprofile one knows that well! This results in a heck of a lot of edge retention when cutting things like rope and cardboard.

IN sum, I would rate INFI as one of, if not the, best cutlery steels on the market for a wide range of tasks.

IT may not resist rust like 420J, or sharpen as easy as 1075. It does not have the wear resistance of some of the CPM steels like 420V (I forget the new name, like S60V maybe), or the toughness of 3V. But what it does do very, very well is work well over a wide variety of tasks.

It is strong enough that a nice thin edge is not going to be easily rolled, and tough enough that it won't be chipped either. That is exactly what I look for in a steel.

Other steels like A2, 3V (which I have not used yet) provide the same quality, but are not near as rust resistant.

There are lots of good steels out there, and INFI is one of the best. But also consider the Heat Treat (which Newt Livesay calls the sould of the knife), as well as things like primary grind and edge geometery.

Ed Cafferey calls this the "total package" and I agree, that is what I look for in a knife.
 
...long thin machetes for 'Smoking monkey's' in the jungle too... ;)

Other than that, it's just about the best thing going today for heavy use, recommended by 9 out of 10 Nova Scotian's... "INFI Rocks!"

Mel
 
where does infi come from?

i think it is a very good steel but am not a big fan of marketing blade steels with non standard names like carbon v, infi, case surgical steel etc....i like to know what i am dealing with

i know there are other nitrogen containing steels available on the market today.

my suspicion is that infi is a commercially available steel that busse has developed a good heat treat for. he deserves many kudos for that

my reasoning for this is that i doubt that busse uses enough steel to justify even a smallish run of a proprietary steel from a steel mill or mini mill, especially in the early days of busse combat. jerry busse is a talented maker but as far as i know is not a metalurgist or engineer.

i would be interested to know what mill actually produces it.

another thought is that they might have an "exclusive" on the product to use in the cutlery industry and i am curious if this infi has other uses or applications.

of course i suspect we will not learn the real story behind infi... its a secret... :rolleyes:
 
Hey Trace, INFI is not the one from melted down alien space craft. You are confusing it with another secret alloy:D:p
 
Originally posted by bandaidman

my suspicion is that infi is a commercially available steel that busse has developed a good heat treat for. he deserves many kudos for that

my reasoning for this is that i doubt that busse uses enough steel to justify even a smallish run of a proprietary steel from a steel mill or mini mill, especially in the early days of busse combat. jerry busse is a talented maker but as far as i know is not a metalurgist or engineer.

Click to expand...

Bandaidman - while most private companies like Busse Combat do not have to provide sales numbers to anyone (except maybe their bankers) suffice it to say that between private and commercial use Busse sells more than enough knives to have INFI runs manufactured for it by mills. Furthermore, while Jerry Busse may not be a metallurgist (sp?), he knew that one can hire those types of specialists to help engineer a steel to the requirements that he knew would address the needs of extreme knife performance users.

So, in summary, you are all wet. :D
 
THe last I heard was that INI was confirmed, both by Busse and independent spectral analysis as having the following alloy makeup:
V .36% Vanadium
Cr 8.25% Chrome
Fe 87.79% Iron
Co .95% Cobalt
Ni .74% Nickel
Mo 1.3% Molybdenum
C .5% carbon
N .11% Nitrogen

At 60 RC (after tempering) it is far harder than its .5% carbon belies (other medium carbon steels are much softer) and its corrosion resistance is much better than the Cr contnet of 8.25% would suggest.
Whether that is the Ti, CO or Ni at work, I don't know.

Some elements combined have a synergistic effetc, the total is more than the sum of the parts.
 
Thank you for you post. Very informative


Originally posted by Eric_Draven
THe last I heard was that INI was confirmed, both by Busse and independent spectral analysis as having the following alloy makeup:
V .36% Vanadium
Cr 8.25% Chrome
Fe 87.79% Iron
Co .95% Cobalt
Ni .74% Nickel
Mo 1.3% Molybdenum
C .5% carbon
N .11% Nitrogen

At 60 RC (after tempering) it is far harder than its .5% carbon belies (other medium carbon steels are much softer) and its corrosion resistance is much better than the Cr contnet of 8.25% would suggest.
Whether that is the Ti, CO or Ni at work, I don't know.

Some elements combined have a synergistic effetc, the total is more than the sum of the parts.
Click to expand...
 
...that the comment "Whether that is the Ti, CO or Ni at work, I don't know..." Should have read..." Whether that is the Ni, CO or N at work, I don't know..."

No spaceships mckgreg? Sheeesh, yet another unbeliever... ;)

(Not to be confused with a 'non-believer', which is altogether a different animal...)

Mel
 
I am not saying they are the same but in my experiance infi grinds,files,and cuts just like triple quenched 5160. I have never understood why people say infi is hard to reprofile the edge though. I did my SJ with a newer file in just a few minutes. When I ground some false edges on a SHE and Sj they ground very easily.Nothing like hot rolled 1095 or some stainless steels I have tried. If I had to guess by "feel" I would think infi is a variant of 5160 or 6150. Whatever it is there is definitely something special in the heat treat.
 
My guess would be that the ideal heat treatment process Busse probably performs makes a very good steel even better - just like Strider Knives´ Paul Bos heat treated blades which obviously turn normal ATS-34 into a great steel.
 
Actually, it is melted scrap found on the Ohio Turnpike and quenched with Carling Black Label....
 
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