r8shell
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2010
- Messages
- 25,550
I was at a flea market/antiques show a while back (back when flea markets were open, it seems so long ago...) and I found what I thought was an interesting little brass letter opener with mother of pearl handle. The only maker's mark I see is "Stahl-Bronce" stamped on the blade. It wasn't too expensive, so I bought it. One of my favorite parts of this hobby is picking up odd knives by makers I'd never heard of and doing a little research online.
I'd never heard of "Stahl-Bronce" and the first thing that came up on a Google search was the translation from German: Steel Bronze. Perhaps it wasn't the name of a cutler, but the type of metal.
Further googling on "bronze steel" didn't bring up much, but an article by Bernard Levine, quoted here:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/is-it-gold.584362/#post-6000310
"...a soft bronze or gun-metal is formed with 16 parts of copper to 1 of tin.....
The steel bronze of Colonel Franz Uchatius (1811-1881) consisted of copper alloyed with 8% of tin, the tenacity and hardness being increased by cold-rolling. Bronze containing about 7 parts of copper to 1 of tin is hard, brittle and sonorous, and can be tempered to take a fine edge...
...In the realm of metallurgy, Uchatius steel bronze (so called because it was hardenable; it contains no iron) was still in common use three decades after his death. Indeed it probably remained the preferred metal for Central European fruit knives until supplanted by stainless steel after World War I...."
Hmm, so this bronze "steel" was harder and cheaper than silver, and was used for things we use stainless steel for today. That's pretty cool, and got me to thinking: just how hard is this stuff? Could it actually hold up to EDC use?
Any metal can cut if properly sharpened, but does it last? I could sharpen the edge and test it on paper, cardboard, and rope, but as we all know: The true test of any knife is Batoning.
Like most people, I'm spending a lot of time around the house, social distancing. While I have the time, why not do a few tests?
My first test was to split some bamboo. I know that any thin wedge can split bamboo, but I was impressed by how well it did, even splitting through the fibrous node.
Next, I tried batonning against the grain. I have to say, I was amazed. I've rarely seen a split this clean, even using modern steels!
So it takes a keen, stable edge, and performs without chipping, but of course I wanted to know if it could withstand some hard use. It was time to really test this knife. I picked up a rock out of the garden and decided to give it a try.
A well placed strike on the spine with a hammer, and it split the rock with minimal damage!
Minimal damage to the knife, I mean. The rock was in two pieces.
I am really amazed by the strength of this stuff. Why don't we see it used nowadays? Perhaps the forging methods are a lost art.
I'm not saying it's ancient alien technology, but...
I'd never heard of "Stahl-Bronce" and the first thing that came up on a Google search was the translation from German: Steel Bronze. Perhaps it wasn't the name of a cutler, but the type of metal.
Further googling on "bronze steel" didn't bring up much, but an article by Bernard Levine, quoted here:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/is-it-gold.584362/#post-6000310
"...a soft bronze or gun-metal is formed with 16 parts of copper to 1 of tin.....
The steel bronze of Colonel Franz Uchatius (1811-1881) consisted of copper alloyed with 8% of tin, the tenacity and hardness being increased by cold-rolling. Bronze containing about 7 parts of copper to 1 of tin is hard, brittle and sonorous, and can be tempered to take a fine edge...
...In the realm of metallurgy, Uchatius steel bronze (so called because it was hardenable; it contains no iron) was still in common use three decades after his death. Indeed it probably remained the preferred metal for Central European fruit knives until supplanted by stainless steel after World War I...."
Hmm, so this bronze "steel" was harder and cheaper than silver, and was used for things we use stainless steel for today. That's pretty cool, and got me to thinking: just how hard is this stuff? Could it actually hold up to EDC use?
Any metal can cut if properly sharpened, but does it last? I could sharpen the edge and test it on paper, cardboard, and rope, but as we all know: The true test of any knife is Batoning.
Like most people, I'm spending a lot of time around the house, social distancing. While I have the time, why not do a few tests?
My first test was to split some bamboo. I know that any thin wedge can split bamboo, but I was impressed by how well it did, even splitting through the fibrous node.
Next, I tried batonning against the grain. I have to say, I was amazed. I've rarely seen a split this clean, even using modern steels!
So it takes a keen, stable edge, and performs without chipping, but of course I wanted to know if it could withstand some hard use. It was time to really test this knife. I picked up a rock out of the garden and decided to give it a try.
A well placed strike on the spine with a hammer, and it split the rock with minimal damage!
Minimal damage to the knife, I mean. The rock was in two pieces.
I am really amazed by the strength of this stuff. Why don't we see it used nowadays? Perhaps the forging methods are a lost art.
I'm not saying it's ancient alien technology, but...
