Need to make a Fillet Knife, What steel and hardness?

i can certainly say when cutting some ingredients with carbon steel , especially naked iron clad knives it smells horrible. I imagine it has more to do with odor than taste..of course odor and taste go hand in hand. I say "naked" b/c the effect seems less as the blade develops more and more patina.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I have to take a trip down memory lane. Long before most of you were born there was an old TV show called "Family Affair". ....

The taste from putting a steel blade on your tongue for 30 seconds is from galvanic action, not from the blade shedding iron ions
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LOL - I grew up watching Family Affair. I guess you and I are somewhat in the same boat Stacy......

I dont know about residual taste .... but the only food I cut that I specifically reach for a stainless knife for is onions. A regular carbon knife will discolor the onion and you can smell it while cutting (though not sure if the onion itself continues to smell). I am not totally sure of the reaction - probably sulfoxides maybe? those are definitely smelly compounds....
 
Iron sulfide and hydrogen sulfide are created when sulfur (thiols in the onion) and iron react in an acidic situation. Both smell, but there is probably little or none retained in the food that was cut.
 
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Thanks Stacy. Inorganic chem was never my strong point. Believe it or not I actually liked organic chem...
 
Just curious why AEB-L hasn't been recommended? I thought the added toughness and ability to develop a keen edge would selling points.

The warping issue and edge retention may be a detraction.
 
Scott, I read thru this whole thread wondering why AEB-L hadn't been mentioned. Warping really isn't an issue with proper HT, then grinding bevel post-HT. Edge retention? Darn good and easy to sharpen at 60 Rc. If you don't have an oven to HT AEB-L, then send to JT for HT.
 
Ken H> said:
Scott, I read thru this whole thread wondering why AEB-L hadn't been mentioned. Warping really isn't an issue with proper HT, then grinding bevel post-HT. Edge retention? Darn good and easy to sharpen at 60 Rc. If you don't have an oven to HT AEB-L, then send to JT for HT.
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I've made a few fillet knives from AEBL so I was wondering if there were better options. I love the stuff at 63hrc.

I've yet to figure out how to keep AEBL from warping but now that I have a peening hammer figured out it only takes a few minutes to get straight without the risk of snapping. I did turn a fillet knife into a paring knife bending to about 110 degrees.
 
Scott, if you're HT'ing yourself, do a 1725F soak for 15 minute or so, clamp between quench plates. Let cool while oven is ramping up to 1950 or 1075F (depending on temp you use), then clamp between quench plates. Once you're ready for tempering oven, clamp between 1/4" to 1/2" aluminum bar while tempering. The blade should come out dead straight after all that. I've used that method for .040" thick paring knives, and .062" thick chef knives.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I have to take a trip down memory lane. Long before most of you were born there was an old TV show called "Family Affair". In it Sebastian Cabot played the butler/cook/valet. The little girl was watching him make a salad where he was tearring the lettuce by hand. She asked why he didn't use a knife. He said the metal would spoil the taste of the salad. She replied,"Why doesn't the metal bowl make it taste bad?" He shooed her away, but after she left he picked up the bowl and looked inside it with a confused look.

The taste from putting a steel blade on your tongue for 30 seconds is from galvanic action, not from the blade shedding iron ions. It would not make the same taste on food cut with the knife in a second or less. I have heard chefs say they can't tell the difference at all, and others say they can be blindfolded and taste a piece of veggie and tell what knife it was cut with. I would like to see Mythbusters test this scientifically.
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You are right it is galvanic action. But doesn’t the action take place faster with higher acid levels? The human mouth is not very acidic compared with blood and other parts of the body. Then if you compare it to a tomato or a lemon both are magnitudes more corrosive and reactive. My question is would 2-3 seconds in contact with a tomato or onion or fish or steak have the same effect as 5-10 seconds with your tongue? Please let me know what you think? I certainly think I can tell the difference with tomatoes. But that may be more in my mind....
 
I think what Stacy is saying is that it is galvanic action directly electrically activating the tastebuds ... no flavor compounds are created. So the question of time in contact with a tomato is not really pertinent?
 
Cushing H. said:
I think what Stacy is saying is that it is galvanic action directly electrically activating the tastebuds ... no flavor compounds are created. So the question of time in contact with a tomato is not really pertinent?
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Interesting! Thanks for the reply. I’m always learning new things on here.
 
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