oddball/unusual blade material

L

levi

Joined
Apr 6, 2000
Messages
5
has anyone worked with magnesium? or maybe
something even stranger? can titanium be
surface hardened? Guy worked at Alcoa and
had an aluminum plate so hard he couldnt grind it. stuff like that, non magnetic.

Ill try anything once.
 
Ti is used regularly. I don't think any of us wants to grind Mg, but I had thought of that as a handle material. How strange do you want to go? Some people make Carbon Fiber blades. I've seen wooden blades.

--JB

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e_utopia@hotmail.com
 
I was on a cruise a couple of years ago and there was a chef who could make *anything* out of a block of butter. Don't know about edge holding but the butter was hard enough that it sure messed up a fresh roll.



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Rob Ridley
Ranger Original Handcrafted Knives
http://www.col.ca/rridley
 
perhaps some clarification is in order(Rob!)
Im bored. Im poor. I have hand files and sandpaper and iron determination? Talonite sounds great, but is it flexible? if anyone but rob recommends it, ill pick some up.
The one thing i cant do is heat treating,beyond a campfire. I will make knives for the rest of my life, so id like to
try everything. why not grind Magnesium?
can i find titanium at a scrap yard, and if so, in what form? (I have some magnesium helicopter parts).
 
Hey Levi, go out to Hoyle Road Equipment Co. there in Dixon and see if you can get a piece of snow plow wear edge out of their junk pile and knock yourelf out making a knife from that stuff. That would be a strong blade, and I know it'll keep you busy with a file. Have fun.

Jake
 
Let's see, Magnesium catches fire, Titanium from a junk yard will not hold an edge (the Ti used in knives is what's known as 'beta-titanium,' which is a certain class of Ti alloys). Talonite is not for the poor; it's quite pricey. I also have no means to do heat-treating, so when I start in on the knives this summer, I will be sending them out to be heat-treated (probably to Paul Bos, given his reputation). Just another alternative.

--JB

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e_utopia@hotmail.com
 
Okay, Ill forget the Mg, but thanks for the tip on hoyle, I never thought of that. I also have a 3 inch thick by ,oh, 2' x 2' material i think is micarta. its green and has some very tough layered fiber init. Canvas? G-10?

i used a nice beltgrinder once, and it feels good, like you can feel a smooth grind in your toes, and it makes your hair stand on end.
 
Talonite (r) would turn out to be the cheapest in the long run. This is because a file will just skitter over the surface, and you would have one heck of a time removing any metal! Keep you occupied for years! Walt
 
BTW, both Al and Talonite (r) are magnetic; very highly so. They are not ferromagnetic, so a magnet will not stick to them, but they are magnetic. In the case of Co, the primary element in Talonite (r) it can be made ferromagnetic by the addition of rare earth elements, usually Sa (samarium). Walt
 
Sa (samarium) is commonly found in the leaf springs of old jeeps!!!
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Actually, you probably have some in your house already. High end stero speakers have SaCo permanent magnets in them.

Walt
 
In Sunday school when I was a kid they talked about the "good samarium". If you're looking for any, it can be found in the bible....ROFL!!!

C Wilkins
 
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