Titanium as blade material?

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bchan77

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Dec 6, 2007
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Hello all, I just came across an online site that had for sale a knife with blade made of titanium. Are there any real advantages (if any) from using titanium rather than steel for a knife blade? Thanks.
 
Less weight, great corrosion resistance ,makes a great dive knife .Normally not as hard as a good steel knife .There are better alloys of Ti than the typical blade type but those are very expensive !
 
I love the Ti blade.
For basic cutting, you're GTG.
Try a Salt, also.
rolf
 
Ti blade with a carbidized edge is always something to behold. Also it has that unique distinction from the usual riff raff that we knife junkies get, so there can be a lot to appreciate in a Ti knife.
 
Grayman makes titanium fixed blades. Check out their web site for some good info on ti blades.
 
bchan77 said:
Hello all, I just came across an online site that had for sale a knife with blade made of titanium. Are there any real advantages (if any) from using titanium rather than steel for a knife blade? Thanks.
Click to expand...


Are you SURE they make knives out of titanium? That they don't offer "titanium covered blades" etc?
 
Ti is "corrosive free".. Ti is softer and sharpens easy, but doesn't hold an edge long.. Make it toothy for best results. Ti is non-magnetic and I believe non-conductive. Ti is LIGHT and strong.

Oh and Ti is cool :)
 
Both divers and people who have to muck around with truly frightening stuff like land-mines and IED's love titanium blades, because they're non-magnetic and don't rust. I have no personal experience in the matter, but it's my understanding that carbidizing technology has come a long way, to the extent that titanium blades can actually have a good, long-lasting cutting edge.
 
Not much practicality as an EDC blade, if you ask me. Even a cheap no-name steel will hold a better edge. For Coolness, though, they can't be beat. I guess as a last-ditch defensive stabber, it would work. I have a very nice wide thin hollow ground fixed blade that rode in my wallet for a while. It made a great food knife, as it wouldn't corrode when slicing apples, oranges and sandwhiches. I flame anodized it a nice gold/purple color.

I like to think about a titanium knife being buried in the ground for several hundred years, and being discovered in the same shape it went in the ground. I sometimes wonder what knife I'd like to be buried with, and what some anthropologist/paleontologist will think of it, when they dig me up. Maybe a ceramic-bladed, titanium handled piece. :D
 
I've been using beta titanium alloy to develop swords, which I think is an especially excellent use for the metal when it comes to cutlery. Some of the attributes are:

- About 35% lighter in weight than carbon steel
- Shock-resistant and non-fatiguing: it's VERY tough
- Won't corrode (ever)
- Rigid, but able to flex like a spring without damage
- Highly heat-treatable for enhanced strength, hardness and stiffness
- Fine grain structure
- Lustrous and beautiful

There are quite a few different titanium alloys out there. When someone says "titanium" they are almost always referring to 6al4v, which is the all-purpose workhorse alloy. It's readily available and can be used with great success for just about anything, including blades. Beta metastable titanium alloys can get somewhat harder and attain additional characteristics that help make a good blade; not as hard as those carbide edges on ti knives though!

Titanium has its own pleasing look and feel. It has qualities that are hard to describe but blatant to the senses when you get ahold of it.

And yes my swords hold an edge way better than some cheap no-name steel! :D
 
Our very own Tupper Knife & Tool makes these fantastic Ti wharnies he calls Slim JENs.

Super light, and they cut great! Not to mention the finish on these looks awesome :thumbup:





 
Check out the Fox Knives Military Division's FX-SCT01B FOX STEALTH CARBON TITANIUM which is a 5.5" fixed blade knife that weighs only 4.76 oz.

A lightweight "diving and EOD knife that is 1) 100% non magnetic for mine demolition, 2) completely rust resistant and 3) a superior cutting tool. From this list of essential needs we started the development of our STEALTH blades. The blade is manufactured using an inner core blank of BETA Titanium with external layers of Carbon Fiber that are bonded together using special resins in a vacuum process. The end result is a blade that is very flexible with minimal vibration. The Titanium and Carbon Fiber are completely non-magnetic and rust resistant and are ideal components for EOD and diving purposes."​

fox_stealth_carbon_titani.jpg
 
The fox blade above is grade 5 which is not a beta metastable titanium alloy. Most products that are called "titanium" aren't even titanium!
 
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