Matthew Gregory
Chief Executive in charge of Entertainment
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2005
- Messages
- 6,390
Sometimes problems arise when making knives, and occasionally it's a problem with steel. Could be a simple issue of it being mislabeled accidentally, by you or the vendor you purchased it from. Could be a bad batch of steel from the mill, could be that the steel is shipped in an unusual state that might present issues in processing on your end. Regardless, there are measures you can take to alleviate or at least provide options when troubleshooting besides 'he said/she said' finger pointing nonsense that gets you nowhere. I'll provide an anecdotal example, that will illustrate a couple of the safeguards you can utilize in making the correct decisions.
This is NOT a guarantee that everything works out! Shit happens, all there is to it. The point, however, is that tools are in place so that issues can be traced to the source, whether it be your fault, or somewhere else in the chain.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS STEEL.
I'm providing it as an example.
This is a sheet of Crucible CPM-3v which I purchased from Niagara Specialty Metals. Note the number written in marker at the top of it - that's the internal 'production number' which corresponds to my order, on the material certification or 'cert' that was provided when I bought it:
It provides the chemical composition of this particular batch of steel. Also on this sheet is a "heat number":
This is yet another internal number which allows Niagara to track when this steel was rolled to dimension from the billet received from Crucible. It also states the original Crucible heat number, and what date it was received.
That number can be used to trace this piece of steel directly back to the foundry with their heat number. Here's the cert from Crucible:
As you can see, the documentation provides a paper trail. Great care is taken to keep track of the material, from start to finish.
If I have a problem with this steel - perhaps a failure to harden properly, or an inconsistency in any other way, I can call both the crew at NSM as well as the metallurgists at Crucible, and they can dive into the issue and hopefully come to a resolution about what went wrong, and whether or not it was my fault or an issue with the steel.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS PAPER TRAIL, YOU HAVE NO WAY TO TROUBLESHOOT.
Knifemakers aren't the only people that use these alloys. In fact, we're a tiny fraction of their business. The industries which purchase this stuff are subject to far greater scrutiny - in some instances, lives can be at stake. These standards are used to reduce errors and also trace things back should issues arise. A perfect example could be a billet of steel that somehow got through the QC department whcih contained impurities, or wasn't processed properly. In theory, if a sample was found to be problematic, it could be recalled or otherwise dealt with. Or, it could be determined that there was a failure on your part to properly process the steel.
Without this trail, how do you know what happened? If, in fact, there was a bad batch of steel, and YOUR bar is what was found to be the problem, how can you know if the other three bars you bought came from the same heat?
Even minor chemistry deviations - deviations which may, in fact, still allow the alloy to be in spec - can have a significant impact on heat treat and performance. How do you know what you bought without certs?
The vendor you purchase your materials from isn't responsible for the knife you put YOUR name on.
YOU ARE.
The person that uses YOUR knife has placed their confidence in your ability and diligence. They have absolutely no idea who your steel source is, nor should they.
In the immortal words of good ol' Cowboy Ronnie Reagan, "...trust, but verify."
This is why I choose to purchase my steel directly from Niagara Specialty Metals, but there are others that will provide certs. If you're a maker, it's up to you as to how serious you are about this. For me, it's part of the integrity and pride of the end result.
This is NOT a guarantee that everything works out! Shit happens, all there is to it. The point, however, is that tools are in place so that issues can be traced to the source, whether it be your fault, or somewhere else in the chain.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS STEEL.
I'm providing it as an example.
This is a sheet of Crucible CPM-3v which I purchased from Niagara Specialty Metals. Note the number written in marker at the top of it - that's the internal 'production number' which corresponds to my order, on the material certification or 'cert' that was provided when I bought it:
It provides the chemical composition of this particular batch of steel. Also on this sheet is a "heat number":
This is yet another internal number which allows Niagara to track when this steel was rolled to dimension from the billet received from Crucible. It also states the original Crucible heat number, and what date it was received.
That number can be used to trace this piece of steel directly back to the foundry with their heat number. Here's the cert from Crucible:
As you can see, the documentation provides a paper trail. Great care is taken to keep track of the material, from start to finish.
If I have a problem with this steel - perhaps a failure to harden properly, or an inconsistency in any other way, I can call both the crew at NSM as well as the metallurgists at Crucible, and they can dive into the issue and hopefully come to a resolution about what went wrong, and whether or not it was my fault or an issue with the steel.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS PAPER TRAIL, YOU HAVE NO WAY TO TROUBLESHOOT.
Knifemakers aren't the only people that use these alloys. In fact, we're a tiny fraction of their business. The industries which purchase this stuff are subject to far greater scrutiny - in some instances, lives can be at stake. These standards are used to reduce errors and also trace things back should issues arise. A perfect example could be a billet of steel that somehow got through the QC department whcih contained impurities, or wasn't processed properly. In theory, if a sample was found to be problematic, it could be recalled or otherwise dealt with. Or, it could be determined that there was a failure on your part to properly process the steel.
Without this trail, how do you know what happened? If, in fact, there was a bad batch of steel, and YOUR bar is what was found to be the problem, how can you know if the other three bars you bought came from the same heat?
Even minor chemistry deviations - deviations which may, in fact, still allow the alloy to be in spec - can have a significant impact on heat treat and performance. How do you know what you bought without certs?
The vendor you purchase your materials from isn't responsible for the knife you put YOUR name on.
YOU ARE.
The person that uses YOUR knife has placed their confidence in your ability and diligence. They have absolutely no idea who your steel source is, nor should they.
In the immortal words of good ol' Cowboy Ronnie Reagan, "...trust, but verify."
This is why I choose to purchase my steel directly from Niagara Specialty Metals, but there are others that will provide certs. If you're a maker, it's up to you as to how serious you are about this. For me, it's part of the integrity and pride of the end result.
