What is this stuff?

[Mike Davis]

im just curious if Cast Dendritic Steel is good for a knife blade. my father found a premade knife blade he likes and its made out of this material. i offered to forge him one but i think he wants to do this on his own

 

[Chuck Gedraitis Knives]

It's made by David boye and is cast 440C or d-2. Great stuff and holds an excellent edge. The blades come annealed and you will have to heat treat them yourself like stainless.

Check out these links-
http://www.knifeart.com/davidboye.html

http://www.boyeknives.com/about.cfm

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The blades are excellent.They come heat treated and semi-finished.The suppliers like K&G,Jantz,Texas... all carry David's Dendritic blades.Be warned that finishing hardened D2 is not for the faint of heart!
David's dendritic cobalt is available in bars.It is costly,but makes a good knife when non-corrosion and non-magnetic are the major issues.