steel comparison

S

shaker

Joined
Apr 12, 2005
Messages
274
im new here ,,been lurking for a bit
i was wondering if you guys/gals can help me out . ive been looking for a "chart"
or whatever that can give me a clearer idea of what steel is better then an other , in respects to corrosion resistance , edge holding ability, and brittelness. stuff like that
id like to find the best steel to make myself a "dive " knife
i think that those are the main areas the would matter toa dive knife
thanks for your help .........shaker
PS even user's experiances would help me make up my mind
 
IF it were me, I would get a dive knife that would not corrode,
as I HATE rust. There are titanium and stellite knives available.
Also, Boker makes some knives that are steel but rustproof, as does Spyderco.
What kind of knife are you looking for?
Fixed, Folding? Custom, Production?
Price range?
check out www.missionknives.com for titanium knives.
 
no im planning on making one myself
i think titanium is out because of its poor edge holding
stellite ,,i think is almost as corrosion resistant as titanium ,,,but will hold an edge good ..but im not sure about its flexability/brittelness
ive already made one out of cm154 ,,,but am curious about if there might be abetter steel the 154 ?
i know "the best steel" is subjective ,, thats why id like to see if any one has or has made a chart type thing that shows any advantages/dis-advantages of various steels

i do have a nice piece of 6k stelite that i am making into a knife
...
thanks for your help ...shaker
 
im likely not going to find a chart that compares the things that id like to compare . but thats ok . im going to go for the stelite blade . for me the corrosion resistance is most important along with ability to hold an edge
that rules out titanium in my opnion
thanks much ,, those answers did help .. ........shaker
 
Cobalt steels (like Stellite or Talonite) are good for diving tools (pretty expensive though). A more exotic material would be zirconium precipitate (and even more expensive, I think).
H1 is a more affordable alternative, it's a steel with great corrosion resistance and decent edge retention.
All of the abovementioned perform better than titanium (for blades, I mean).
 
i live only ten miles from the stelite plant so i can get it without any shipping cost . its still pretty expensive even then but at least i can get it without any markup .
 
Shaker


Where are you diving and what are you cutting. I dove recreationally for many years. Open Water - Advanced - Rescue - Divemaster - O/W Instructor. In those years, I think I pulled my blade less than half a dozen times and I don't think I ever cut anything more than monofilament line.

IMHO, corrosion resistance will be important (because it's going to spend at least some time in a dive bag full of wet gear). Next would be edge geometry and design - (a pry tip makes sense on a dive knife and some serrations are in order in case you get into an argument with a net). Perhaps most important of all is accessibility - the sheath. (I'd talk to Eric Noeldechen at On/Scene Tactical about that) Maybe add a grip that's designed for a gloved hand and a pommel for light hammering and tank tap signals

I think I'd put edge retntion all the way at the bottom of the list.

Sounds like a fun project.
 
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