Mission Knives in Ti

T

tique

Joined
Oct 28, 2000
Messages
970
I was wondering how well the Mission Ti blade knives are holding up... I'm considering getting a few of them to carry while diving and when I'm down at the beach so I don't have to worry about cleaning my blades all the time, sometimes my gear gets tossed in the trunk and I forget about it for a few days(bad habit, but that's life).

I was considering getting another Talonite knife or two to do this, but I think I read somewhere that the Ti knives were actually better than Talonite.

Also, I'm guessing the Ti Mission uses is a whole lot better than the Ti dive knives I find in the dive shops around here? The models of most interest to me are the MPU, MPD, and MPK(both lengths).
 
Mission uses a Titanium alloy which gives a high level of hardness (for Titanium) so it is stronger and gives better edge retention than other Ti blades. In regards to performance in general, you will see edge rolling faster than you will see on steel knives, because of the large difference in hardness. However the serrations will last quite some time on rope before they need to be sharpened, due to the finish and geometry (~1000 or so cuts) and the primary edge can be maintained well with a simple butchers steel.

The main advantage over steel, is the greater corrosion resistance, however there are also gains in ductility and overall toughness with Titanium over many popular steels, especially the stainless ones. However the lower RC makes impaction more of a problem with Titanium in collisions off of really hard objects. In regards to it being "better" than Talonite, it has advantages and disadvantages. Missions Titanium is overall tougher, but Talonite has a greater wear resistance, and is heavier which has both benefits and drawbacks.

Some info on a Mission MPK in Ti :

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=184219

-Cliff
 
Cliff...our load of Beta from Mission is en route so we can start machining Vietnam Tomahawk heads!!!! I'll need to talk to you about edge geometry before assembly so you can put one through its paces.
 
Andy,

First off, that is just too damn cool. I really hope you'll have one or two of these at Blade so I can play a bit. I might just have to buy one when I can get the cash together, never know when a "dive hawk" will come in handy. I was planning on buying a Vietnam Tactical, but that might just have to be put off till I can get one of these bad mothers.

Second, I don't think I need any better info on Mission's Beta Ti... if ATC thinks it's good enough for a hawk head, then there's no way I'm gonna mess it up in a knife.
 
Hey Guys..

Just had a coffee this week with Bigtree here from the forums and he has a Mission all Ti folder thats pretty nice..

Its holding up quite well,still looks pretty good,, although it needs a good edge put on it.... Kyle!! :) LOL

I guess with Ti, you got to keep putting an edge on them every once and awhile, as the Ti oxidizes the edge fades a little...

ttyle

Eric...
 
Normark :

I guess with Ti, you got to keep putting an edge on them every once and awhile, as the Ti oxidizes the edge fades a little...
Click to expand...

Titanium will oxidize instantly with expose to air, but the rate is very nonlinear. What forms in seconds (12-16 angstroms thick) is the extent of the coating formed unless you never use it and put it away for weeks. To get specific, it takes 70 days to get three times as thick a coating as forms instantly. After a year and a half, it has still not doubled again.

Just after you do a fresh sharpening to a very high polish, one that can push shave hair with just the barest touch, you can see a slight decrease in sharpness, but if you don't test the blade right away you will never see it and you have to be doing something that can pick out a small change (a few percent). After this coating has formed the blade is still easily as sharp as any production knife I have seen, including the better edges from Cold Steel, Spyderco etc. .

The main issue with Ti and edge holding is the low hardness means the edge rolls more easily than high end steel knives which are usually ~60 RC. This is why Ti can benefit strongly from edge alignment work which is why I recommend light use of a butchers steel for coarse edges (it will act as a file), or a fine ceramic for polished edges, stropping on CrO works well also. Note, on the ceramics, Ti gums into them and is difficult to clean.

Andy, glad to see the project is coming along and you are continuing to push on the boundries of tomahawk development and application.

-Cliff
 
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