Titanium in the Kitchen?

L

Liam021

Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Messages
133
Hey guys I was planning on doing some kitchen knives for my Mother and Grandmother as Christmas gifts but time has run out. I wont be able to get the knives out to HT in time for Christmas but I have some .138 Titanium I got from AKS a couple of weeks ago. I was wondering if Titanium in the kitchen is a good idea? I have a carbidizer coming in from USAKnifeMaker and I was thinking I could just do a standard V flat grind and then do like a "Chisel" sharpen from the one side and carbidize the other side. I was thinking that this would work and Ive heard that the knife somewhat "Sharpens" itself after use because it just keeps exposing more carbide.

So do you guys or gals know of anything wrong with Titanium or Carbide in the kitchen? Like leaving weird taste or possibly being harmful?
 
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The "hobby" carbidizers used for lock faces on folders, are not powerful enough to make effective carbidized knife edges.

As long as people keep thinking they are, we'll never have acceptance of a product that has some very interesting potential uses, but will never be a replacement for hardened steel.


I make Ti carbidized blades with a commercial 220V/20amp spark depositor from Electro Arc Corp, that costs ~$5k new. Mike Snody (who makes excellent carbidized blades) I think uses a Rocklinizer, which is also similarly expensive. These machines will deposit a 25 micron thick layer single pass, where as the hobby units will do about 2 micron, with very little penetration. My unit will burn through titanium if set too high, and sparks like an arc welder. Tungsten won't deposit over itself effectively in multiple passes, so the single pass capacity is essential. Penetration, is even more important.


Believe me, I've tested all the options, but you can take my word for it or not.

*shrug*
 
javand.
Thank you very much for that info on the carbidizing. No, I wasn't going to try it but I have had my interest sparked about it. Frank.
 
Frank, if you ever need any further info, or want help with anything, feel free to get in touch.
 
Ti has excellent corrosion resistance and is used in various surgical implants.Rarely does anyone react to it ! I have a couple of pots and nice sporks made of Ti , they work fine. Their light weight make them ideal for backpackers .
 
I made my wife a little chisel ground titanium parer early this year and it is still cutting great. I carbidized the backside (flat non ground side) with a carbidizer from USA knifemaker. I put a small secondary bevel on the ground side of the side of the knife opposite the carbidizing. Titanium will never have the same kind of edge as a quality steel knife. But it will cut soft things like vegetables quite well. I gave it a very toothy edge (220 grit) and then stropped it, and it still slices like a champ.

I can only speak from my experience, so take it for whatever it is worth.
 
Wow thanks for the info Javand. Do you think it would be possible to make one like yours, or make one that is better than the one from USAKnifeMaker? And I wasn't planning on putting tons of carbide on the edge like Mike Snodys knives (I have not seen your work but I will fix that problem soon) but just a small edge. I know it won't cut as well as steel but I have a feeling it will still cut better than our $1 fleemarket knives that we have now. The knives are almost completely sharpened away with crapy plastic handles. I thought I could make something nicer out of titanium.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top