Laminated, Damascus, one-material blades — advantages and disadvantages?

Smiling said:
Laminated steel - disadvantage is brittle core which could chip during chopping, or tip which could break off easily. I know a guy who chipped his Fallkniven F1 on first use. And more people on here have told me it's a thing with Fallkniven.
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I own and use a lot of FK models. None of the larger ones have chipped during chopping. None have had any tips broken.
What can happen is Micro-chipping on a new knife with the factoryedge still in place. Resharpen a few times and the edge get stable.
I put my own edge to any new knife regardless of brand because IMO factory edges sucks.

Regards
Mikael
 
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Smiling said:
Laminated steel - disadvantage is brittle core which could chip during chopping, or tip which could break off easily. I know a guy who chipped his Fallkniven F1 on first use. And more people on here have told me it's a thing with Fallkniven.
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You are missing the core concept of laminated steel. It has a hard core which holds an edge well, but may be "brittle". The core is sandwiched by layers that are not prone to breaking.

That's the whole point.
 
Mikael

Checked out Tradera. Their English version is still in trial stage and my Swedish is non-existent :-(
The pics did show some nice knives, prices ?, maybe a bit high with US shipping. Will check back on them
from time to time. Thanks.

BTW, my wife collects Swedish barrel knives; nice collection.
Rich
 
marcinek said:
You are missing the core concept of laminated steel. It has a hard core which holds an edge well, but may be "brittle". The core is sandwiched by layers that are not prone to breaking.

That's the whole point.
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Especially since not only does the softer cladding support that delicate core, but making that core thinner makes it tougher, as well.
 
Rich S said:
Mikael

Checked out Tradera. Their English version is still in trial stage and my Swedish is non-existent :-(
The pics did show some nice knives, prices ?, maybe a bit high with US shipping. Will check back on them
from time to time. Thanks.

BTW, my wife collects Swedish barrel knives; nice collection.
Rich
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Yes the shipping is an obstacle, when buying from overseas.
Barrelknives are cool, but I have yet to see one in real life as they are not common anymore.

Regards
Mikael
 
Mikael

I don't yet have a pic of her collection. About 40 I would guess including some rare ones ranging from 1 inch barrel to a 9 inch one. She has most Swedish (Eskiltuna), but also Norwegian, Mora Sweden (rare), England, Indian copies, and what I think is a Chinese one (at least it has Chinese characters on the tang.
I'll try to get a pic of her collection.
Rich

Edit:Got a pic of her collection (none laminated or damascus).

 
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My statement was that the edge could and often is chippy when it comes to laminated blades, not that entire knife is fragile. Soft steel does help when it comes to shock from impact, but the part of the edge itself will still get a chip if that steel is fragile.
 
Smiling said:
My statement was that the edge could and often is chippy when it comes to laminated blades, not that entire knife is fragile. Soft steel does help when it comes to shock from impact, but the part of the edge itself will still get a chip if that steel is fragile.
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Fallknivens have been known to chip on first use (a quick stropping prevents it).

So who else's laminated steel chips?
 
Smiling said:
My statement was that the edge could and often is chippy when it comes to laminated blades, not that entire knife is fragile. Soft steel does help when it comes to shock from impact, but the part of the edge itself will still get a chip if that steel is fragile.
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It may still be fragile (or may not be, depending on steel and heat treatment) but reducing the thickness of the core steel does make it more able to bend or flex without cracking, chipping, or snapping. :)
 
Rich S said:
Mikael

I don't yet have a pic of her collection. About 40 I would guess including some rare ones ranging from 1 inch barrel to a 9 inch one. She has most Swedish (Eskiltuna), but also Norwegian, Mora Sweden (rare), England, Indian copies, and what I think is a Chinese one (at least it has Chinese characters on the tang.
I'll try to get a pic of her collection.
Rich

Edit:Got a pic of her collection (none laminated or damascus).

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Rich, that has to be the single most impressive collection of Barrelknives I've seen to date!
Another name for this type (in Swedish) is "Konst täljkniv" or "Art whittlingknife".

Regards
Mikael
 
marcinek said:
Fallknivens have been known to chip on first use (a quick stropping prevents it).
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John, I would say some of them have Microchipped. Taking the edge to a DC or CC stone at 4-5 times + honing on leather is what I have done.
Chipping to me are those nasty halfmoon chips out of the edge and that requires reprofiling on a beltsander. Semantics I know, but I like to be clear.:cool:

Regards
Mikael
 
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Smiling said:
My statement was that the edge could and often is chippy when it comes to laminated blades, not that entire knife is fragile. Soft steel does help when it comes to shock from impact, but the part of the edge itself will still get a chip if that steel is fragile.
Click to expand...

Hm, if I read this right You mean that the core steel often gets brittle if laminated?
Lets look at the F1 in lam. VG-10 and the F1 in solid VG-10.
Same steel, same heat-treatment and same geometry.
Does the fact that the solid VG-10 F1 isn't laminated, make the entire knife fragile? :D

Regards
Mikael
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
It may still be fragile (or may not be, depending on steel and heat treatment) but reducing the thickness of the core steel does make it more able to bend or flex without cracking, chipping, or snapping. :)
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42,
Very few has explained it in a more eloquent way than You do. :thumbsup:

Regards
Mikael
 
I run into it VERY often with vintage American scythe blades. Many were made using very thin, laminated construction, and a common indicator that a blade is a laminated one is when you find it bent and twisted like a noodle. :p They can almost always be bent back cold without experiencing cracking, and yet tend to have edges that are harder than their whole-steel counterparts. Whole steel blades tend to be more resistant to taking a set, but also softer in the edge (though still quite hard) and it's much more common to encounter a cracked whole steel blade than it is to find a laminated one that has met the same fate.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I run into it VERY often with vintage American scythe blades. Many were made using very thin, laminated construction, and a common indicator that a blade is a laminated one is when you find it bent and twisted like a noodle. :p They can almost always be bent back cold without experiencing cracking, and yet tend to have edges that are harder than their whole-steel counterparts. Whole steel blades tend to be more resistant to taking a set, but also softer in the edge (though still quite hard) and it's much more common to encounter a cracked whole steel blade than it is to find a laminated one that has met the same fate.
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Yes and it's the same with lam. Mora's. They are easy to bend but just as easy to bend back to true.
The core of O1 steel is hardened to around hrc 61, but the outer skins are soft due to the very low carbon content.

Regards
Mikael
 
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