what exactly is the advantage of higher carbon?

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Jan 26, 2002
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i dunno enough about steel to figure out whether this is a stupid question or not, so i'll just ask it and let the chips fall where they may...

of course i realize that higher carbon allows for a harder blade...but is there an advantage to MORE carbon? i mean for example, what can you do, in practical terms, with say 1095 that you can't do with 1080?

when it comes to the simple 10xx series steel, the only real difference is the carbon content...so what's the practical difference between them, if any?

i'm guessing that higher carbon will allow you to get a harder blade...BUT if you're tempering it back to a particular hardness anyway, is there any advantage to the extra carbon?

say you like to temper your blades to RC 58...just for example...if you can get that with a given steel, does a higher carbon steel give you any advantage? or does it just come down to personal preference, which particular steel you happen to like?
 
You should be talking about wear resistance not hardness.Once you get above 1084 in carbon you get not just martensite but martensite + carbides. Thus a 1095 at 58Rc would have greater wear resistance than 1084 at the same hardness.
 
Gee....for once I understood everything Mete said.. :D
One of the better articles on Carbides I've read was in the September 2001 edition of Blade Magazine. If you can find a copy, it's worth reading.
 
Yes, the extra carbides that form can increase the wear resistance, but as with all things in knifemaking there is a trade off, the cementite (carbides) is not as strong as martensite, and therefore can be more brittle.

lower carbon steels tend to be tougher, higher are more wear resistant at the same hardnesses
 
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