White Steel in the woods?

mneedham · Jan 20, 2008

My son said was too cold to hike and the game hasn't started yet, so I had a minute to mess around with a couple of my X-mas presents. My beautiful wife gave me the Takeshi Saji "white steel" knife in the pics below. It feels like a thick kitchen knife and cuts nice. From what I've read white steel is laminated carbon steel. Does anybody know anything about it or use it in the woods?

Liam Ryan · Jan 20, 2008

That's a beautiful knife, I really like the traditional look.

sicily02 · Jan 20, 2008

To ansnwer your ?
( nope)
But I hope some one can.
Bryan

1kimo4u · Jan 20, 2008

i think the "white" signifies the color of paper the steel is wrapped in and also is a certain grade of high carbon steel. i think it is manufactured by hitatchi corp.. i think it is forged? try googling "saji knives" some info is availible @ japaneseknifedirect.com. nice knife.

mneedham · Jan 20, 2008

1kimo4ru,

Yep, it looks like Hitachi made the steel. I suppose a knife could start out worse than hammer forged, laminated carbon steel. Maybe it is similar to some of the Mora steel...

King Bear · Jan 20, 2008

Cool looking knife.

I could very well be wrong, but metal "in the white" just means it's uncoated. I don't know if that's what is meant by "white steel" or not.

1kimo4u · Jan 20, 2008

is it full tang? i picked up a kanetsune (blue steel) and the tang was only 2/3 tang.

mneedham · Jan 20, 2008

King Bear,

Thanks.

1kimoru,

Yep, mine is also a 2/3 tanger.

DaleW · Jan 20, 2008

More photos and descriptions at http://www.japaneseknifedirect.com/SajiTS-65Sasanoha.html

The craftsman at work: http://www.japaneseknifedirect.com/Saji.html

There is an undocumented forum listing on white paper steel at http://www.groupsrv.com/hobby/about3700.html.

mneedham · Jan 20, 2008

DaleW,

Thanks for the links, I like what they say... I have had a lot of success with Japanese made knives. I have a Lakota Hawk which was made in Seki City and would be my first pick for amedium size fixed-blade in the woods. This new knife feels good in the hand, I hope to hear more about them here...

magneto · Jan 20, 2008

White steel is what another poster wrote, it is the paper it is wrapped in, like blue steel, blue paper. Not all white steel is laminated. It is excellent steel for taking an edge and holding it, the HRC will be around 64-66 so be careful with it in the woods. It may be a little brittle for hard use. I hope you enjoy it.

Dannyboy Leather · Jan 20, 2008

Though I don't have any experience with Saji's knives, I do own a few of Murray Carter's knives in white steel. You can find the differences between white and blue steel on Murray's website: www.cartercutlery.com.

My carter knives in white steel are at 63-64 RC. Though these blades have excellent wear resistance and edge stability on softer mediums, I avoid contact with bone, wood knots, etc, or they will have the propensity for light or micro chipping at that hardness. The compromise is the fact that you will have an edge that will last a good long period in the general woods environment...as long as you use some minor caution and maintain the proper edge geometry for what you are doing. This is just assuming that Saji's knives perform close to carters...all things considered.

mneedham · Jan 20, 2008

Dannyboy & Magneto,

Thanks for the info. With that kind of hardness it is definitlely not a chopper. It's size and feel don't lend it to that kind of use anyway. We'll see how she holds up!