Source for a sheet of Stellite or Talonite?

I would contact Chuck or Jessica at Alpha Knife Suppy. They have both listed on their site from time to time.
 
I used Talonite in the past and was very disappointed with the cutting results when used in the field and without trying to cut bones etc. to destroy it. It just wasn't a good field knife.
Frank.
 
Another material is David Boye's dendritic cobalt billets. Pricey, but makes good blades. I don't know who is carrying it now.
 
Frank Niro said:
I used Talonite in the past and was very disappointed with the cutting results when used in the field and without trying to cut bones etc. to destroy it. It just wasn't a good field knife.
Frank.
Click to expand...

Thank for sharing experience. How you rate it against low end steel like some cheap Chinese kitchen knife?
 
Stellite/talonite. The stuff will cut and cut and cut, but the material is relatively "soft" compared even to the cheap steel knives. It makes an okay folding knife for light duty tasks, where corrosion resistance and low magnetic signature is a big factor, but there are better materials out there. If you hit anything hard, as has been pointed out, the edge will deform. It will cut soft and fibrous materials well, like cardboard and rope.

The way stellite works is it relies on carbides imbedded in a soft cobalt matrix to cut, essentially as you use it the softer cobalt wears away exposing more tungsten carbides, and it will keep on cutting long past what feels dull.

I have made two folders with the material, I will not work with it again. Solid carbide tooling and a very rigid set up for even making a simple hole, it can not be cut with a band saw, or hacksaw, it does grind easy enough and requires no heat treat. To put it in perspective, the teeth on high grade metal cutting band saws are often bonded stellite, so essentially you are trying to cut material with the same material.

The other factor is cost and, as you have found, availability. Save the headache, use a different material.
 
navman said:
Stellite/talonite. The stuff will cut and cut and cut, but the material is relatively "soft" compared even to the cheap steel knives. It makes an okay folding knife for light duty tasks, where corrosion resistance and low magnetic signature is a big factor, but there are better materials out there. If you hit anything hard, as has been pointed out, the edge will deform. It will cut soft and fibrous materials well, like cardboard and rope.

The way stellite works is it relies on carbides imbedded in a soft cobalt matrix to cut, essentially as you use it the softer cobalt wears away exposing more tungsten carbides, and it will keep on cutting long past what feels dull.

I have made two folders with the material, I will not work with it again. Solid carbide tooling and a very rigid set up for even making a simple hole, it can not be cut with a band saw, or hacksaw, it does grind easy enough and requires no heat treat. To put it in perspective, the teeth on high grade metal cutting band saws are often bonded stellite, so essentially you are trying to cut material with the same material.

The other factor is cost and, as you have found, availability. Save the headache, use a different material.
Click to expand...

Thank you navman! that was sure a great, useful information. I think I will better stick with PM stainless.
 
The Bybees (Jon, Chuck and Jessica over at Alpha Knife supply) did introduce me to a very cool nitrogen blade steel that is essentially corrosion proof with low carbon, that performs at about the level of the good ol' 52100 steel. Stuff is called ZFiNit. Interesting stuff for sure. I sent my blades to Peters for heat treat.
 
navman said:
The Bybees (Jon, Chuck and Jessica over at Alpha Knife supply) did introduce me to a very cool nitrogen blade steel that is essentially corrosion proof with low carbon, that performs at about the level of the good ol' 52100 steel. Stuff is called ZFiNit. Interesting stuff for sure. I sent my blades to Peters for heat treat.
Click to expand...

The Z-FiNit stuff sound very interesting. I heard it forgable as well... Brute de Forge stainproof knife would be real awesome!

I gonna try it soon after finished all the 3V, Elmax and CPM-D2 sheets that I have.
 
http://shop.amxinc.com/KNIFE-MATERIALS_c9.htm

They just got 6 feet of it in last week. Sold 2"x .178"x 12" . Sold in less then 3 days. They will give you a rough estimate of when they will get some in stock again, then just keep your eye out. That is the cheapest place I found, other than buying a $2500 dollar ingot straight from the company that manufactures it. It is nice to be able to try it in small quantities.

GREAT METAL!!!
 
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