Knife or Death

Sonnydaze said:
I was amazed and surprised by that titanium sword. Very great run.
In the folder world, blades made from titanium do NOT seem to be holding an edge...and don't seem to have much of a market.
What makes your blade so much "better" in that contest?
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I am not Mecha Mecha but I do know his swords (machetes, knives and axes) are titanium alloys not commonly used.
I’m sure he’ll have a better and more in depth response.

ETA: check here
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/knife-or-death-season-2-titanium-sword.1676646/
 
titanium alloys are less wear resistant than most cutlery steel, which is why you'd add carbide to the edge if you were using it for a folder or smaller utility knife

even then, it's tough to compete with many of these super steels because, well... they're super. If your folder is a defensive weapon, titanium makes a lot of sense since it's not going to see a lot of use, (hopefully) it won't rust and it's significantly lighter while still having dependable strength

titanium's unique characteristics are well suited to larger knives where impact is of greater concern than wear resistance. The substantial deadening effect of titanium helps conserve energy, while the 50% reduction in mass for a knife of similar strength to the steel analog is an obvious benefit

in my experience, (using two large MechaTi blades really hard through various materials and conditions) it's difficult to get that really keen edge you'd be familiar with on a steel blade. The material is very ductile and removing the wire edge requires a very high degree of patience. It's doable and immensely rewarding, but not easy. However, the effect of impact on the edge seems to have a work hardening effect, and the edge actually becomes more effective with use, post sharpening

Sam's work is 100% legit, I've been saying so since the beginning, and having the opportunity to use his blades is what made a believer out of me.


3n5hHfB.jpg


RBpDdHB.jpg


moh3102.jpg
 
Lorien said:
titanium alloys are less wear resistant than most cutlery steel, which is why you'd add carbide to the edge if you were using it for a folder or smaller utility knife

even then, it's tough to compete with many of these super steels because, well... they're super. If your folder is a defensive weapon, titanium makes a lot of sense since it's not going to see a lot of use, (hopefully) it won't rust and it's significantly lighter while still having dependable strength

titanium's unique characteristics are well suited to larger knives where impact is of greater concern than wear resistance. The substantial deadening effect of titanium helps conserve energy, while the 50% reduction in mass for a knife of similar strength to the steel analog is an obvious benefit

in my experience, (using two large MechaTi blades really hard through various materials and conditions) it's difficult to get that really keen edge you'd be familiar with on a steel blade. The material is very ductile and removing the wire edge requires a very high degree of patience. It's doable and immensely rewarding, but not easy. However, the effect of impact on the edge seems to have a work hardening effect, and the edge actually becomes more effective with use, post sharpening

Sam's work is 100% legit, I've been saying so since the beginning, and having the opportunity to use his blades is what made a believer out of me.


3n5hHfB.jpg


RBpDdHB.jpg


moh3102.jpg
Click to expand...


Good explanation, Lorien. I'd like to add that the hardened ti alloys make a pretty nice knife without the carbide edge - in fact, the armor plate alloys seem to make a better knife than the titanium-niobium I like best for swords. Most things that are getting cut aren't very hard, so the ti works well. For knifey slicing it's not likely to match up to the
super nice steel that's used, though, I've had some great feedback from knife users anyway.

When I started doing this, it was to make swords and other large blades, which aren't the same as simply a huge knife, and for such purposes the ti alloys can be really great. If done properly, they don't get dull hardly at all with use. The Ti Nb alloy is the one that's the most positively responsive to work, as you mention, and the one with the most shock deadening and impact power. The Russian BT23 alloy is pretty much rock solid from the start.
 
Sonnydaze said:
I was amazed and surprised by that titanium sword. Very great run.
In the folder world, blades made from titanium do NOT seem to be holding an edge...and don't seem to have much of a market.
What makes your blade so much "better" in that contest?
Click to expand...


Ty ty. What makes it work is:

-The alloy is hardened to a fairly hard level, enough to stay sharp under impact
-The hardness achieved is magnified by the sheer toughness of the alloy (acts harder than it is)
-The toughness is increased by the shock-absorbing rigid flexibility of the alloy
-The above characteristics allow the blade to be quite thin yet remain stable
-The blade design is refined to take advantage of all of the above
-The thin blade is able to be used with great speed and power
-"Speed kills." -Dan Keffeler

The sword used on the show was not as good as most of them, it was an alloy untested as a big blade and I rated it as an "average" ti sword blade.
 
Mecha said:
Good explanation, Lorien. I'd like to add that the hardened ti alloys make a pretty nice knife without the carbide edge - in fact, the armor plate alloys seem to make a better knife than the titanium-niobium I like best for swords. Most things that are getting cut aren't very hard, so the ti works well. For knifey slicing it's not likely to match up to the
super nice steel that's used, though, I've had some great feedback from knife users anyway.

When I started doing this, it was to make swords and other large blades, which aren't the same as simply a huge knife, and for such purposes the ti alloys can be really great. If done properly, they don't get dull hardly at all with use. The Ti Nb alloy is the one that's the most positively responsive to work, as you mention, and the one with the most shock deadening and impact power. The Russian BT23 alloy is pretty much rock solid from the start.
Click to expand...

another quick point, the edge on a ti blade doesn't degrade via atmospheric conditions. I peel my apples with that little knife and don't bother rinsing it off when I'm done. Sometimes it will sit for days without being cleaned, but the edge never changes. I've been able to get a shaving edge on it and it doesn't lose its keenness at all, unless the edge is getting worn through use. Probably make for a pretty decent straight razor, I imagine
 
when they said in the show that his Ti got upto 60 hrc, I was a bit surprised, the threads in his section usually said somewhere in the mid/high 50s (which imho is just fine)...

Mecha did you spend a bit of time to do extra work hardening?
 
Thanks Bigfattyt Bigfattyt :)


dirc said:
when they said in the show that his Ti got upto 60 hrc, I was a bit surprised, the threads in his section usually said somewhere in the mid/high 50s (which imho is just fine)...

Mecha did you spend a bit of time to do extra work hardening?
Click to expand...

Yes that was an error, they're usually 50-53 ish. They can get higher but my target is 53. The blade used on he show had never cut a single thing until the course, it was made in great haste, and was from an alloy I hadn't tried as a large blade yet but worked great as a knife. It did not hold a sharp edge under impact as well as the Ti Nb or the Russian armor plate, but still did a pretty good job.
 
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Mecha said:
Thanks Bigfattyt Bigfattyt :)




Yes that was an error, they're usually 50-53 ish. They can get higher but my target is 53. The blade used on he show had never cut a single thing until the course, it was made in great haste, and was from an alloy I hadn't tried as a large blade yet but worked great as a knife. It did not hold a sharp edge under impact as well as the Ti Nb or the Russian armor plate, but still did a pretty good job.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Is there a reason you decided to go with that blade, and not one you had used/tested previously?
 
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