Opinions on Stellite 6K

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wire edge

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I bought a George Young Stellite 6K kitchen knife about a year ago. I have to tell you, this is an awesome alloy!!! I just sharpened it, about 5 light strokes on the white sharpmaker stones, and it was sharper than when I purchased it. This is after a year folks, and I use it every day. Granted I know how to use a knife and only use it for that application. I was curious as to what other makers might use stellite 6k in a tactical knife format. I have never used Talonite, but Mr. Young claimed it to be third best in the line up of cobalt alloys. I don't want to be disappointed, so I will stick with the 6k variation. Any good ideas out there?
 
WE-

Stellite 6K is one of a series of cobalt-chromium alloys, which are basically a combination of cobalt (50%-plus), chromium (between 25-30%), and several other elements. The distinctive difference between Cobalt 6K (proprietary name Stellite 6K) and Cobalt 6B (the alloy used in Talonite) is that 6K contains about 50% more carbon than 6B, making it stronger and harder. Deloro Stellite, manufacturer of Stellite 6K and also Stellite 6B, recommends 6K over 6B for blades, because of this increase in hardness and edge holding. As an example of 6K's edge holding capability, Deloro Stellite's product literature describes Stellite 6K as having an edge life approximately 90% greater than that of 440C stainless steel in scraper blade applications. Of course, 440C is a respected knife steel in its own right, and used by many high-end custom makers, so an alloy that holds an edge for almost twice as long as 440C certainly bears note.

Talonite is Cobalt 6B that has been through an "age hardening" process which brings its hardness up from the low 40's Rc, but it is still softer and weaker than Stellite 6K because of the added carbon in 6K. Talonite is a proprietary name like Stellite, but other manufacturers also offer hardened forms of 6B, designated Cobalt 6BH, with the "H" standing for "hardened".

Hope this helps.

-w
 
When I hear 6k the first name that comes to my mind is Kit Carson. If you are looking for another great knife in 6k check him out.
 
YES!! It IS fantastic material!!

Acutally kitchen duty, specifically cutting on a chopping board will dull a knife rather quickly. I have a Stellite paring knife that sees a LOT of kitchen use and it really holds up well.

As a maker, I find that Stellite finishes better than Talonite. I also find that it takes a nice "toothy" edge many customers request, MUCH better than Talonite.

Now if they would just sell the stuff FINISH GROUND :rolleyes:

Neil
 
I must say that I like working with the stellite 6K, grinds well and polishes easily but will not come to a full mirror.

I live only an hour or so down the road from the plant in Belleville and meet some of the Deloro people from time to time at the gun and hunting shows. I have been asking about stellite for about four years, trying to learn as much as possible about the material. This year I decided to make the jump and add it to my line for special models only. I am still getting over the sticker shock though, the landed price in my shop is almost exactly 10X the cost of 440C when I add in the courrier charges.
 
I have a Ray Rogers Companion in Cobalt 6BH and it does not get any better.Much used field knife and keeps coming back for more.
 
George,

10 times more expensive?!!! You've got to be kidding me...From my supplier, 440C X 10 would be over $100 a foot!! Do I just need a new supplier?
 
It also comes down to purchase quantities, I usually purchase 440C in 50 to 100ft lots and get a decent price that way.

My pricing was based on my cost for 1/8X1" material in both cases.
 
Interesting to hear these opinions. After getting some talonite knives, Kit carson's opinion about stellite's advantages made me try that. I haven't done any rigorous testing, but i believe the opinions expressed, particularly by Dr Lathe. I have two quite similar knives by the extraordinary Mr. Blackwood, one in talonite and one in 6K. I don't think I've pushed either one to the point where the differences would be noticeable - yet. I have a trip or two planned shortly that may change that...
 
It would be hard to tell the difference between Stellite 6K and Talonite in the kitchen....They last so long that you would probably forget when, or if, they were last sharpened. BG42 has a reputation of being a little chippy however, probably could be reduced by tempering it a little more at the expense of edge holding.
 
My George Young Stellite 6K is a kitchen knife. Compared to BG-42 blades that I use (Brian Tighe Pinnacle, CR Sebenza) in the kitchen, Stellite 6K's edge has at least a 5x advantage. This is my own personal observation. I am much like Steven Dick, in the aspect of using an EDC in the kitchen. You can really learn a lot about a knifes edge geometry, edge retention, and quirky characteristics, if they have any. Thanks :D
 
I have 2 George Young paring knives from 6K, a 3" and 4" (like the 3" better). Half tang knives, very thin stock, 0.028" is what they measure, and so they are very flexible and compliant, making them very useful for coring apples, pears, and other such "core-able" things, pithing and "coring" things like green peppers. He didn't charge me much for them either, I think $40-$50 each from memory (?fuzzy) at a show couple years ago (as you can see, I'm conditioned to paying waaaay too much money for knives). Black pakkawood handles (good choice for kitchen use, they do end up in the dishwater sometimes).

Of course they are totally stain resistant.

And they hold an edge very well, with this limitation. If you cut on a cutting board, the edge tends to roll fairly quickly, I suppose because they are in the Rc40's range (soft, relatively). I am not exaggerating when I say it only takes two swipes on each side across a "sharpening" steel (edge straightening steel) to stand the edge right back up.

So, Pros:
=========
* super easy sharpening (soft)
* super easy edge straightening
* total corrosion resistance
* in George's paring knife rendering, a metal flexible enough to be used at that very thin overall stock measurement, and I've had no chipping/ripping problems, they get super sharp also.

con:
====
* edge roll when used on a cutting board

I don't get such easy edge roll from my Henckels paring knives, and suspect they are in Rc56-58 range maybe? But they aren't ground super thin and flexible either.

I would suggest that the Stellite/Talonite knives would make a great salt water fish fillet knife if you could swing the price.

Steven Dick wrote an article in the 17th annual Knives '97 (Warner) ... his wife loved a small flexible Oneida paring knife they owned, but the tang cracked, and Oneida no longer sells in USA, but they wanted a replacement. They had Bob Dozier grind two of them out of D2, to same size/dimensions as the Oneida. Dozier said "it was no special treat to grind such a tiny, thin blade...it'll take a month to restore the hide to my fingertips."

I asked Bob probably in '99 or 2000 what he would charge for such a knife, and he said it takes as much or more time to grind a little blade as his normal small blades, since he's got to start with his normal thickness stock and grind it very thin, so he'd have to charge $135 each.

Well, I understand why Steven likes having at least one really flexible paring knife in the kitchen, and would suggest that a George Young in 6K fits the bill at 1/2 the price, and far better corrosion resistance for kitchen use. Buy two, keep them at 3".

George Young
713 Pinoak Dr
Kokomo, IN 46901
(765) 457-8893

Postscript -- money where my mouth is: I just ordered 2 more paring knives from George. A 2-1/2" and a 3". Total for both including shipping: $95.
 
I own several George Young 6-K Stellite paring (size) knives. I rarely use them in the kitchen, instead they have become my favorite filet knives for pan fish and trout.

I even drilled a hole in the handle of one, made thong (so I wouldn't lose it in the stream) and a sheath. I carry it in my fishing vest. Most of my trout are cleaned before I leave the stream. It's great, it won't rust and really holds an edge. I haven't sharpened it in the 2 seasons I've carried it.

A heads up on carrying the thin blades in a leather sheath. These blades are so scary sharp and thin they slice through everything but the heaviest leather with no effort.

I know, I have a scar on my hand from pushing one through a 6 oz. leather sheath. I have since attached a thin brass strip to exterior (blade side) of the sheath from about half way down to the tip to prevent the blade from cutting through. This winter, I plan to make a kydex sheath for it. The kydex is more appropriate for stream side use besides being a safer carry method.
 
Interesting reading here, folks. Here's a twist: How would either stellite or talonite hold up as a work knife for a woodworker/carpenter? If the stuff is relatively soft, I would guess that it wouldn't hold up cutting different hard or soft woods, cardboard, hemp rope and fiberglass reinforced plastic. Correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks!
Barry H
 
Given rdangerer's comment about using the thin blades on a cutting board, you may be correct. However, the George Young blades we're talking about have a super thin cross section...thinner then most filet knives. I think George made them from material that was originally made for an industrial cutting or scraping application.

I suspect their functionality with wood, paper, plastic etc. would be determined more by the cross section thickness and the angle on the cutting edge.

As always, it may a trade off, you may get superior cutting for a shorter time and therefore may have to "touch up" the blade more frequently. But paraphrasing rdangerer, "a couple swipes on a good steel and your ready to cut again". These particular blades are really easy to sharpen.
 
Is there any site on the net that displays or sells any of George Young's knives? I can't find one.
Stellite strikes me as a good material for multiblade folders because of the corrosion resistance and the relatively lower forces a multi is likely to be subjected to. But I'm sure talonite would perform about as well. Is there that much difference in how easy they are to work?
 
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