Is there a reason there are no carbon steel folding knives?

J W Bensinger said:
Is that M4? All the Super Blues are laminated, so just the edge patinates. Makes me want to get a Caly.
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That one is Super Blue. Not all of the Spyderco Super Blue runs were laminated. The run of the Caly 3 and Caly 3.5 were solid Super Blue. The run of the FRN handled models (Ladybug, Manbug, Dragonfly, Delica, Endura & Stretch) were laminated Super Blue.

Here is my Caly 3.5
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JR88FAN said:
There is (sorta)

D2
3V
PD1
M4

But I would love to see more folders in 1095 and 52100.

John Mcnees and Sniper Blade Works make a lot of their folders in 1095, but they come with a big price tag.

It would be really nice to see anything from a Spyderco to RHK's or SKI's in a true high carbon steel.

They would sell like crazy......
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Maybe it doesn't technically get included, but I'd say Super Blue qualifies as a true high carbon steel; it's almost 94% iron, with 1.5% Carbon, 0.5% Chromium and 0.5% Vanadium, with 2.5% Tungsten. In comparison, 52100 is 1.1% Carbon with a higher 1.6% Chromium, 0.3% Nickel, 0.45% Manganese, etc., and about 95% iron. I'm not sure how well they sold, but it seemed like the Super Blue Spydercos went pretty quick.
 
asdf12345 said:
Does 3V and 4V count as 'carbon steel'? How about Z-Wear, Cruwear or Spectrumwear?
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I'm not familiar with the last one, but I think the first four are 'tool steels'. They'll still rust up better than stainless, if that's your thing. M4's a tool steel, but has a nice carbon to chromium ratio.
 
I like to simplify this, and someone please correct any misinformation or contradictions (this is an informative thread, and a good discussion):

There is stainless steel, and then there is carbon steel.

Stainless is 13% Chromium or higher. Carbon is under 13" Chromium.

"Tool Steel" is a designation given to steels whose application runs the gamut from tool and die steels (D2), injection molds (CPM-S90V), and other commercial whatnots like bearings, valves, and other high-wear components. These can come in both stainless and carbon.

"High Speed Steel" (HHS) is a subcategory of tool steels. These are designed to run at high temperatures without ruining the heat treatment. There are carbon versions (CPM-M2 for drill bits, L6 for bandsaws) and stainless versions (BG-42, a ball-bearing steel).
 
In addition to the Svords, Opinels, etc. already mentioned, there's also the Douk-Douk, Higonokami, Mercator K55K, to boot. It's true that carbon steels tend to feature in folders with more traditional styling, though, and part of it is market demand. If market demand starts changing we may see an increase in the number of carbon steel folders of contemporary styling.
 
I suspect that a reason (among others) could be that most folding knives reside in pockets, waistbands or other moist salty, acidic environments - compared to most fixed blade knives. Additionally, and as previous mentioned int his thread, folders seem to have more nooks and crannies that may not get the attention necessary for proper preventative maintenance. Remember, those here are Knife Knuts - the general knife buying population is likely not as careful (anal) as us.
 
SALTY said:
I suspect that a reason (among others) could be that most folding knives reside in pockets, waistbands or other moist salty, acidic environments - compared to most fixed blade knives. Additionally, and as previous mentioned int his thread, folders seem to have more nooks and crannies that may not get the attention necessary for proper preventative maintenance. Remember, those here are Knife Knuts - the general knife buying population is likely not as careful (anal) as us.
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Yeah. I had a folder in beadblasted 154 CM that would rust after a few hours on a hot day. And that's a stainless steel.
 
asdf12345 said:
Yeah. I had a folder in beadblasted 154 CM that would rust after a few hours on a hot day. And that's a stainless steel.
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Bead blasted finishes significantly increase the surface area of the steel, increasing susceptibility to corrosion. I hate them and would rather see tooling marks and surface imperfections left on the knife than a wretched bead blast.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Bead blasted finishes significantly increase the surface area of the steel, increasing susceptibility to corrosion. I hate them and would rather see tooling marks and surface imperfections left on the knife than a wretched bead blast.
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I bought a ZT 0560CBCF from someone on BF, and it was one of two he had left in the box, in a safe, complete with the silica gel. The bead-blasted portion of the composite blade was Sandvik 14C28N (or whatever), which supposedly is very corrosion resistant, with a small percentage of Nitrogen. Where he had last touched it, a fingerprint of rust had formed. Someone from the maintenance forum mentioned the same thing, that bead blasting causes microscopic damage to the steel surface giving the rust a foothold. Here I thought of it as a protective finish... :p It wasn't bad, and cleaned off fine, but the fact that the rust stopped along the seam of the S110V made the composite blade seem pointless.
 
Yeah, bead blasting is typically used as an inexpensive finishing technique to hide surface marks, leaving a smooth-looking matte finish instead. It does make the part non-glare, but with the drawback of making it much more vulnerable to rust. Hence why if a matte finish is necessary or desired a protective coating like DLC is useful.
 
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