Talonite Good, Bad or Ugly?

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Bob, I think that the only test that matters to me is mine! I know that Talonite according to the Rockwell Chart should be almost as soft as butter... but ya know, if I want to shave hair, I use a razor. For a field knife that keeps cutting long after the "wire edge" is gone, I choose Talonite. I have owned ceramic knives, the "super steels" and my "steel" of choice is Talonite. I hate to sharpen knives, I am okay at it, but would rather spend time doing other chores. So, for me, Talonite gets my seal of approval. YMMV
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Originally posted by donovan:
Gee, thanks for sugarcoating that for me, Rockspyder.
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Ooooops! Sorry.
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Didn't think of it that way.
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Thing is, it sounds like you have hit right smack at the heart of the issue, like the bald1 says above. That is what I suspected all along, especially after reading Cliff's posts on Talonite. All that makes sense, but I don't recall being able to get anyone to say it in so many words.

At the very least, it sounds like Talonite is a knife material that I would like to have in my stable.

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iktomi
 
Does anyone here contend, from his own experience, that Talonite (6BH) is better than any one or more of the following CPM steels:

440V, 420V, 10V or 3V

in any one or more of the following categories:

1. Cuts more aggressively with similar edge geometry and finish (fresh edge)
2. Again with similar edge geometry, holds an edge longer on a specific material.
3. Is more resistant to both rolling AND chipping, given best achievable hardness/heat/cryo treat in the steel (heat treat/RC being pertinent only to steel, since by definition the H in 6BH indicates hardness is fixed during factory production.)

If so, would you share the specifics of that experience? Thanks in advance for the info.

--Will
 
I don't think I understand what you mean by "wire edge," Bald1. You don't mean cutting with an edge that still has a burr on it, do you? I never do that ... I always remove the burr by stropping before I start cutting.... Could you clarify that?

-Cougar :{)
 
Im wondering if I can print this thread and take it to a publishing house.....what about maddog knives???? dont worry...talonite is just a fad...in 100 years people will have forgotten all about it.
 
Tom, I think I will get your new folding laser matter separator with the abalone inlay!
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I agree the Talonite is just a fad, but the damn things sure cut good!
 

I don't think I understand what you mean by "wire edge," Bald1. You don't mean cutting with an edge that still has a burr on it, do you? I never do that ... I always remove the burr by stropping before I start
cutting.... Could you clarify that?
-Cougar :{)
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What Cougar asked Bald1. I'm not sure what "wire edge means". The closest thing I can think of is the burr I grind off before using. Please explain "wire edge" a bit Bald1.

Thank you.
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I just realized something today. This whole thread reminds me of the one we had last year on INFI steel. Heck, you could just take away the word talonite and put in INFI and I would swear we'd be back to last summer when the Busse Basic series were coming out.

Makes me wonder what miracle steel/alloy we'll be discussing next year.

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~Greg Mete~
Kodiak Alaska
 
I like Talonite, most of my INFI and other steel stuff was sold/traded to buy talonite... I thought the INFI was as hard to sharpen as BG-42, CPM420V or CPM440V. My point is still how easy Talonite is to sharpen and how long it cuts in the field, even after it has lost that wire edge. This statement is made by someone who uses his knife daily to cut all kinds of stuff. Cardboard, old tires, paper, cloth, animal, mineral and vegetable... Let me tell you, sheetrock dulls an edge as fast as an old tire.
 
Copfish, what about the softness of Talonite? Have you ever had the edge roll? If so, what materials can be a problem? I need to decide whether to take an Infi Busse as a backup with me to the arctic or whether my backup big knife [5-7"]can be my Simonich. I'll need to be able to use it as an ice ax with lots of lateral torquing and chopping away. Ice can be hard but I wouldn't have thought there would be a problem, but these posts haved changed my mind. I don't think Infi is corrosion resistant enough [I'll be kayaking on the ocean], but if the Talonite is too soft I don't want to spend too much time sharpening or risk serious damage.
You've gots alot of hands on. What do you think? Also anyone else with experience, please help a nervous guy with your opinion.
 
All RIGHT! Now, after 8 pages, I think we're starting to get into some good, meaty questions here!! I'm really looking forward to some specific answers.

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iktomi
 
About corrosion resistence. I've had INFI in the SA jungle twice on 6 week trips. We put it to the test. It does corrode and it does rust. A tufcloth or other coating will mitigate the rust. The rusting I saw was minor and would rub off with a piece of cloth or at worst, a green pot scrubber. Some of the "stainless blades" I saw looked worse. If you cut meat with INFI the natural animal oils should do a tolerable job of keeping the blade rust free. WHen I came back last time I left the blade in the wet sheath when I put it away. A few weeks later I was cleaning my gear and remembered the blade. It had a fine layer of rust in odd patterns decorating the blade. I cleaned it with a green pot scrubber. It was mildly discolored. My INFI BM does NOT have the black ceramic coating.

Talonite did not rust, discolor or change in any noticable way. I never used protection for the blade.

Ron


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Learn Life Extension at:

http://www.survival.com ]
 
copfish wrote:
This statement is made by someone who uses his knife daily to cut all kinds of stuff. Cardboard, old tires, paper, cloth, animal, mineral and vegetable...
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I value hands on experience copfish. What kind of mineral do you cut almost daily?


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Answered my own question copfish. Sheetrock is made of gypsum which is a mineral.


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Just for fun I soaked a talonite knife (Allen Blade Tad Pole) overnight in a glass of water. The micarta smelled a bit the next day but the blade was spotless. Don't usually do this test but that impressed me.

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~Greg Mete~
Kodiak Alaska
 
Dang guys, for something that is not supposed to work, this thread is closing in on two hundred posts!
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[This message has been edited by copfish (edited 07-23-2000).]
 
Greg, I used mine to stir a margarita, no stains, no probs! Gotta remember to clean it after sheetrock though... makes the margaritas taste chalky...
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I had my freshly sharpened (40 degree included angle), .125 thick, flat ground, Rinaldi TTTKK in the cucina today.

I took this "razor" sharp blade and whacked it about 50 full speed, edge down whacks on a polymer cuting board. It was very slightly rolled. 4 swipes per side on the white stones of a Sharpmaker restored sharpness. 4 more per side restored shaving sharpness.

A similarly ground, but slightly thinner (30 degree) A-2 blade deformed equally.

But wait, according to my spec sheet, that
shouldnt happen!! Well, it did.

What does it prove? Nothing.

Talonite works. Is it the best? No. There is no such thing.


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"The most effective armor is to keep out of range"-Italian proverb
 
Anthony the famous Knife writer? Hey dude! I am glad Talonite does not work for you either! I guess most of the users are having the same problems... too bad we are too stupid to vote with our wallets. It seems like we just keep buying more... Tom M, Allen B, Trace R, Rob S, and a few other of you Talonite Knifemakers, correct me if I am wrong!
 
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