INFI steel...

alejandrino

alejandrino

Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
1,769
Just wondering where it comes from. Jerry can't be making this steel. Is it something made for him ? Most likely Japan? Maybe somebody else is using same steel but different name to protect Busse rights? Hope nobody takes offense as I see a lot of Busse diehards here.:foot:
 
My understanding is that Jerry Busse researched and designed the steel, himself, and contracts the manufacturing of INFI. It truly is proprietary, and not used by others without his permission.

Jerry, correct me if I'm wrong.
 
I hope it isn't imported from Japan. I like to think they are 100% american made. If he sourced the steel from out side the US, it wouldn't stop me from buying them. The performance is the true selling point.
 
Progunner said:
I hope it isn't imported from Japan. I like to think they are 100% american made....
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I'm with you on this...

Aditionally, my understanding, part of what makes it INFI is not just the composition, it's the heat treatment. The two together make it INFI.

Ken
 
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought I saw a thread where he will be selling the INFI steel to other makers.Think he should ? This might be good for us as prices will be lowered due to competition and more design choices.
 
It's cheaper to get local steel mills to make your steel and it is also more reliable. Outsourcing to Japan or China for steel introduces massive Quality Control Checks, as they tend to lie about the steel they give you. It isn't really what they say it is. Just ask any knifemaker who was around in the 80's about the industry and how steel being sold to American knifemakers was not what they thought it was.


INFI's chemical makeup was specified by Busse to a local mill most likely. If you order enough you can have any steel mill make your steel. Busse has searched hundreds of steels and tested them probably more so than any other knifemaker I have ever heard of. This has led him to figure out the pro's and cons of most steels. He does not stick with what is just ok, he keeps on looking for improvements. In my discussions with him, it is aparent to me that he knows so much more about knife steels than the average knifemaker that it's not even funny.
 
IIRC, it is made by one of the plants near the shop. As was already said, Jerry can correct me if I am wrong.

Edited to add; alejandrino, Jerry did once, that I know of. Unfortunately the other maker didin't follow Jerry's exact instructions on the heat treat, so it didn't act like INFI. As Cobalt said, it's the steel and the heat treat that make INFI what it is.
 
Originally posted by Alejandrino:

"Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought I saw a thread where he will be selling the INFI steel to other makers."
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He did say that. As far as I know, he ultimately opted not to, except in a few special cases, such as a one-off hand forged piece, and a limited run for his brother.
 
alejandrino said:
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought I saw a thread where he will be selling the INFI steel to other makers.Think he should ? This might be good for us as prices will be lowered due to competition and more design choices.
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I am glad he did not. He spent all his effort to research study and come up with this steel HT system and now he's just to let everyone use it? No, I don't think so.
 
alejandrino said:
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought I saw a thread where he will be selling the INFI steel to other makers.Think he should ? This might be good for us as prices will be lowered due to competition and more design choices.
Click to expand...

My opinion is that the logic is wrong on that statement. If INFI was to be sold to other makers it would be very carefully controlled in order to avoid competition, we would benefit from more choices, but there is no way that Jerry would create competition for his own brand, he is way to smart to let that happen.

After reading the statement here that others have used INFI but got the HT wrong, I can't see why Jerry would want to sell anymore. Messed up INFI gives the rest of it a bad name, and Jerry has no reason to let inferior steel be called INFI.
 
I still wonder about the custom peice by Mike Thourot, specifically if he did the heat treat on it, or if Busse heat treated it after Mike ground it....
 
cgd160 said:
IIRC, it is made by one of the plants near the shop. As was already said, Jerry can correct me if I am wrong.

Edited to add; alejandrino, Jerry did once, that I know of. Unfortunately the other maker didin't follow Jerry's exact instructions on the heat treat, so it didn't act like INFI. As Cobalt said, it's the steel and the heat treat that make INFI what it is.
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Yup, Jerry mentioned in a post a few years back that there was a local steelmaker that would make small batches when he was refining the INFI make-up and that it's still made in Ohio, or close by.

They do call that area the Rust Belt, no?

Rob
 
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