Tom Mayo Knives?

What is the appeal of Talonite? (Sorry, but don't ask never know)
 
MVF said:
What is the appeal of Talonite? (Sorry, but don't ask never know)
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"Talonite"
by Chuck Bybee

Why Talonite Cuts so Well - Lubricity

Talonite® is much slicker than steels so it wears much longer. Talonite® has outlasted 6K by 35% in wear tests. These were wear tests in a cereal manufacturing plant. The abrasive substance was organic fibers in corn and wheat. Talonite® rates much higher than steel and much closer to diamond or Teflon in slickness. Talonite® is slicker so it also cuts faster and easier. Machinery's Handbook, 24th Edition says that these alloys can be run 20% to 50% faster than high-speed steels when cutting.

Corrosion Resistance

The development of high speed and high temperature turbines for jet engines led to the development of a new Haynes alloy. A good way to understand the corrosion resistance of Talonite® is to think of a Navy fighter that sucks sand into the engine flying out of Pensacola and sucks seawater in landing on a carrier. Talonite® is used regularly in applications such as sawing green lumber in a sawmill. Highly corrosive organic acids, high heat from friction and cut lengths of millions of inches as well as interrupted cuts and intense thermal cycles, (extremely hot in the cut and out into flood coolant). Talonite® makes an excellent dive knife. It does not rust by the usual definitions, however it is technically susceptible to chemical attack. Generally it requires something on the order of boiling 20% acid solution such as hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid for weeks or months. Talonite® was developed for rough environments. If your instruments were really good you might detect corrosion in salt water after a thousand years.

Talonite Compared To Steel

Talonite® is an alloy that is primarily cobalt and chrome with only a very small percent of iron in it. Steel is iron with a very little bit of carbon in it. (Iron with .1 - .3% carbon and a maximum of about 2.5%). Talonite® is very different than steel and cannot be compared one to one with steels. Talonite® has a lower Rockwell than some steels but it contains carbide grains. It is softer on a Rockwell test but much more wear resistant than steels. In addition to the hardness of the carbides it also has about a 30% greater lubricity. Talonite® can be sharpened to a razor edge as well as any other material, however it will cut much better than other materials with an equivalent edge because it is much slicker. Steels have a greater tendency to grab in the cut. The grabbing creates more work and dulls the edge faster.

Talonite Is Expensive

It is a performance alloy first, last and always. It was developed to withstand tremendous abuse in jet engines and other applications. Jet engine turbine blades have to keep an exact edge no matter what gets sucked in. Even the wear from air passing over them is more than a knife will ever see. This alloy was designed without cost in mind. Fortunately it is such an excellent alloy that the demand has brought the price down but it is still about $200 a pound. Even though Talonite is 20, 50, 100 times as expensive as steel it is so popular that the big problem has been getting enough of it made. There is only one plant in the world that is precise enough to make alloy this good.

Talonite Is Hard To Work

It takes more time and material to make a knife with Talonite as it does with other materials. Talonite is very wear resistant when being shaped to make a knife. Talonite knives sell for more than knives in lesser materials. However Talonite knives are so good that they are a bargain even at these prices.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
It's not only good looks and top of the line quality...it's the man behind his knives.
 
fastsig40 said:
Toms knives are at the top of the heap when it comes to custom folders IMHO. I EDC a Mayo and as stated before the fit, finish and action are second to none! Skip the Buck save your money up and as stated before get a true TNT, titanium and talonite or 6K. It'll be your favorite for a long time, I promise ;)
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Agree ... just save up for the real mayo custom .. if you need help .. just contact me :) :) I will help you to find one :) :) Actually SteelAddiction (Dave), EdcKnives (Duane), Theknifecellar (Phillip), Ebosshoss (Jon), Bladeart (Larry), Robertsoncustomcutlery (Les --> he always posts aloonnngggg replies on this custom section alot), Arizona Custom Knives (Julie), Tom Mayo himself. They are coolll folks ... but the last one, you need to have him drink alot of beers so that you can get his knives. Best - anton
 
tom makes a fine knife. what i like is that his knives are designed to function well for a long time. my 6 year old tnt works just as well as a new one

he uses a beadblast on his frames that is very fine and does not show wear like other finishes can

he puts a polished convex edge on his blades that is durable and easy to maintain

his clips actually work and dont tear up my pants pockets

the frame of the tnt is much more slender than many other framelocks and has well applied radiuses that make it easy to hold and use and unobtrusive when carried


and as mentioned before he is a nice guy who cares about his product
 
My Buck Mayo TNT has been my daily cary knife for 10 years. Unfortunately I broke the blade last week. Buck offers me retail credit for it, but I don't get the frame back. Anybody know of a source for a replacement blade? I emailed arizonacustomknvies and haven't heard back yet.
 
euclid said:
My Buck Mayo TNT has been my daily cary knife for 10 years. Unfortunately I broke the blade last week. Buck offers me retail credit for it, but I don't get the frame back. Anybody know of a source for a replacement blade? I emailed arizonacustomknvies and haven't heard back yet.
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This thread is about 8 years old....thread necromancy(even for newbies) is discouraged.

For a new blade you will likely have to have a custom maker create on for you, or keep an eye on a popular auction site that has two Waimeas available right now!

Welcome to BFC.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Figured no reason to start a new thread since there was one going, even if it is old.

If anyone sees this post and is interested in referring me to a custom maker or is one themselves the I would appreciate a PM. I'm trying to evaluate my decision between getting the knife back from buck with credit VS getting a new blade made. TIA
 
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