Is O1 ok for a kitchen knife?

S

stax

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Jan 6, 2009
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:confused: I bought an 18"x2"x3/8" piece of 01 the other day. Up until now, I have made about a dozen hunting style knives. 2" wide was all they had but I'm not sure what to make without wasting too much of it. Usually I can get 2 knives out of 18". I was thinking about maybe making a nice kitchen knife with this steel but I thought it may rust too fast in that environment. Has anyone made one with this steel? Just looking for ideas.
 
In my early days there weren'y very many stainless steel kitchen knives ,certainly not good steels. Many knives were made of 1095 and those served well. Yes they rusted but proper care minimizes the problem. Most never oiled those knives but cleaned and dried them immediately after use.That way you'll get a patina but no rust.
 
The first few kitchen knives I made for myself were O1. The most used one did need to be sharpened a year later.

I like carbon steel kitchen knives so avoiding rust and developing a patina isn't an issue for me.
 
My favorite kitchen knife is made of O-1, traded through a KITH, made by Dan Frazee.
I use it almost every day.
O-1 makes a good kitchen knife.
Del
 
Just, there is a smell/taste issue of patina. Some chef's doesn't like to use non-stainless blade some doesn't mind, personally I love pure carbon blades that can have acute angles while not being too fragile. O1 will be I guess a little more rust resistant. I think you should go for a true mirror finish....
 
i too use O1 and i like it hardened to about 61-62 Rc
with a little care and i nice bit of patina there great knives

also you can get a great edge on them (8k grit was killer)
 
Many people including myself, admire the patina that develops on carbon steel knives. You could also blue it. Or use dots of brown mustard to create a mottled, multi-color "case-hardened" look. All three will help prevent further rusting. You still have to keep it clean and dry, of course.

I don't notice a metallic taste on food cut with carbon steel, but I've heard people mention it.
 
I guess I'll be the lone dissenter....*shrug*

I've made a ton of kitchen knives in 1095 (and still do now-n-then) but have moved almost exclusively over to stainless. It's just not practical enough for me to have to maintain carbon steels in the kitchen....and we use my own knives (as well as others) in the kitchen on a daily basis.

My wife and I are pretty concienscious about carbon steel knives....and even then...a few times we would cut up a potato, do something else, come back and it would be rusted....grrrrr....

So I finally gave in....no more carbon steel for me. If I had time to lounge around and care for it during/after food prep, I'd still want stainless.....the good stuff, of course. :p



Will O1 make a good kitchen knife? In terms of edge-holding, yes. Ease of sharpening, yes. Reliable finish? No. Stain resistance (even if polished)? No.


So, it just depends on what you want out of your knives.


Maybe when I get older...and the kids are gone...I'll go back to carbon steels. But for now, a thin stainless steel with a high hollow grind is the cat's meow for me in the kitchen. :thumbup:

Dan

I
 
I have to wonder how (if) a carbon steel knife that get's left out once (and it'll happen to most of us) and develops pits will ever be sanitary enough for kitchen use...

Just something to keep in mind. Bacteria loves pits and grooves.
 
Del, That one is actually O7 from the bybee's. It is a bugger to hand sand too. No joke- it took me 6 hours to get that bad boy ready to buff. I use the heck out of mine in the kitchen as well. Very glad to hear that you are still happy with it. Dan
 
CDH said:
Just something to keep in mind. Bacteria loves pits and grooves.
Click to expand...

That's true, but...

I've used knives made of various steels on food all my life (obviously, we all have) and have never gotten sick.

Keep it clean.

If you're really paranoid about bacteria, wipe it down with bleach.

I doubt very much that any given cutlery steel is more likely than any other to get contaminated, whether it has pits or not. Every knife should be kept clean and dry.
 
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Thanks for all of the input. I'll go for it and see what happens. I was worried about the maintenance of it and the wife not really knowing the difference in steels. I'll have to school her on keepin it clean and not with the dishwasher. Thanks again.
 
Not to steal the thread, but where are some of the best places to get the 1084 or even 01 in a thickness for kitchen knives. About the only 1084 that I have seen is what Aldo is selling and it is to thick for kitchen knives. I have not tried kitchen knives yet but I would think about 1/16th thick steel would be about the right thickness for it, is that what everyone else is using?
 
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