to do or not that is the ?

[jrhart50]

How maney knife makers mark the type of steel on the blade and why.
I am thinking i should and i think why should i.
Thanks JRHart

 

[PARKERKNIVES]

If you go to all the trouble of useing a steel that is a cut above the rest, why not advertise the fact. eg. S30V or BG42 are worth putting on so people know why the knife may cost a little more than your other knives. Also people are just curious and it saves you telling them what they are made of all the time. With an electro etching machine it doesn't take long to do.

 

[Atlas Knife Company]

USA Knife Makers has stencils for the various types. I'm sure others do, also, but that's the only place I've looked.

 

[Frank Niro]

So for a mosaic Damascus blade you would write a paragragh or two? Why get that clutter on you blade? Simply, give the buyer a printed sheet with that and other information about the knife. Frank

 

[james terrio]

Frank has a good point about a whole paragraph explaining your damascus, but... I don't see any harm in having a few letters/numbers on blade showing the steel type. Might even be a selling point, as mentioned above. Folks who buy custom knives often know a good deal about cutlery steel and want to know if it's O1, 1084, or whatever.

 

[Mace]

I like to mark the steel type and year made on the back of the sheath.
Mace

 

[Hengelo_77]

I think it is a matter of taste, just like with cars.

Some people like to have: V6, V8, TDI, or SDI, etc. marked on the back, other people like it slick and clean.

I have a knive that is marked 'D2', very subtile.
I like it, but only because it is subtile and only two characters.
Having to much information on a blade makes it look cheap in my eyes.
(not a statement, just my personal taste)

 

[J.D.]

I have just started serializing every knife I make, in it is the steel type, and number of knives made in that steel after June 1 of this year. Simple 10xx steels use the last two digits. 95-1 would be number 1 in 1095 after June 1 2010. It is etched on the off side of the blade in small letters, some will be etched in the under side of the tang. I started doing this so that if a knife comes back to me for any reason, I know what steel it is and when it was made. I keep a record of each serial number, and the original owners name, and it is included on the Certificate of Origin.