Making ceramic blades

e_utopia

e_utopia

Joined
Feb 7, 2000
Messages
3,221
Is there any way to make a ceramic blade on my own, or is specialized equipment required. I was thinking that a ceramic blade, Ti frame-lock folding straight razor would be about the perfect knife for a knife knut to shave with. The blade doesn't have to withstand impacts, to the brittleness of the ceramic blade isn't important, and a nice open-framed integral handle would be easy to keep clean. So, is this possible, or would it have to be done by a factory?

--JB

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e_utopia@hotmail.com
 
The knives labeled as ceramic aren't really ceramic. Basically ceramic is a catch all phrase for new composites that have some of but not all the properties of metal. Any how, I can't remember the exact name of what they are making the blades of, but I read it described as man made emeralds. And its usually hardened over a period of several days in a kiln kept at tempereatures over 3000 degrees. Not to mention it can't be ground on a normal grinder. Or sharpened with the normal sharpening tools.We're talking about some really tough stuff. Its the same material used to make the tiles that cover the nosecone of the spaceshuttles NASA is sending up all the time.
It would be cool if you could make a ceramic blade. But even if you have a whole shop full of state of the art equipment for making normal knives, you won't have the stuff you need to make ceramic knives.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Actually, 'ceramic' refers to a very specific class of materials. A ceramic is similar in composition to a glass (an ionic compound of a metal or near-metal with a non-metal, such as Silicon Dioxide aka "window glass"), but crystaline, not amorphous in structure. The material that the shuttle's heat shield are made of is a silica ceramic, but is in the form of a foam, so it insulates well but would not make a good knife. Ceramic is not a composite, which refers to a 'mixture' of materials (G10 is a composite of glass fibers and epoxy).

I don't have any knifemaking equipment of my own, but I have access to a lot of equipment that most people don't, since I'm at college. I guess I should have phrase my question:
"Has anyone out there managed to make a ceramic blade and, if so, what equipment is necessary (and are there instructions available anywhere)?"

--thanks,
JB

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e_utopia@hotmail.com

[This message has been edited by e_utopia (edited 03-29-2000).]
 
Ok, this is coming word for word from an add in Cabela's for a Boker Gama ceramic blade knife.
" Boker fashions the 2" drop point blade from their black zircon oxide ceramic, which is as hard as diamonds ( so hard it registers beyond the rockwell scale)."
" Its the same material used for tiles on the nose cone of the space shuttles."
The part that says its as hard as diamonds is wrong. They say in add for another boker ceramic knife that the only thing harder than black zircon ceramic is diamonds. But that means that to effectivly grind it, you have to have a diamond abrasive. And that doesn't mean those DMT stones with a nickel bonding agent. And your not going to drill a hole in it with a carbide drill bit either.Seeing as how diamond is harder than carbide,those spade bits may break it, but not drill a clean hole. And it would probably eat them up pretty quick too.
When I called it a composite, I meant it was composed of a couple different minerals or elements that are ground up into a powder, then bonded together under extreme heat and pressure. Thats where the 4 days in a 3000 degree furnace come into play.
Bottom line is it takes so much equipment to make a ceramic blade knife, that its only profitable to do it in mass quantities, the same way that boker makes pocket knives, and other companies are making kitchen knives out of ceramic. And chances are you won't be able to get access to the equipment or materials you'll need to do it
frown.gif

A ceramic straight razor is a cool idea though
cool.gif


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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Hello Folks,

I once wrote an article about blade materials, mainly steel so, but also ceramics. The white is Zirconium-oxide, the black is Titanium-Nitride-oxide. Both are about as hard as diamonds, and break like glass ( in fact, faster the glass in the fysics laboratoy when I tested it). But for a razor, I would recommend to coat a good steel blade with a Ti-Ni-Oxide coating. Like Buckcote. There has got to be a firm out there who does that. Then, sharpen it on one side, with a real acute angle, and you got yourself a real good razor.
Personally, I wouldn't do it. A hair is a thin bar of horn, and that's not really easy to cut, and it can be deformed. So your cutting agent must be capable of deforming a little too, to cope with the hairs. That's why most razors are simple carbon steels, to be sharp and deformable. Try and break a little razorblade, and you will see what I mean. I think a razor made from ceramics will work a lot worse then a simple 1095, 51200 or CPM-420V razor, and will be a lot more expensive.
A good idea though.
 
Shaving:
The hairs (yes it's horn) are first softened with warm, alkaline(soap!) water, then held in position, by the skin on one side and the lather on the other side, against the push of the razor blade.
Do not forget: a very thin edge pushes with tremendous force per square (whatever) unit you are using. And a hair close to the skin is "stiffer" than you might think.
Have a nice shaving.


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D.T. UTZINGER
 
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