Bartering joy

[Maiden69]

The issue with the damascus is that both steels melt at a different point, and you can't really "weld" both together the way you can do a single steel forge. Katanas are usually made by a single softer steel fold (or damascus depending on the era), then you sandwich the hard steel in the middle which will be your edge. Giving you the strength of the hard steel with some ductility from the softer steel. Like in the image below. Couldn't pull the full image... more info here.



as far as a single steel, HSS, 15N20 or 1095 would be a decent single steel knife. 15N20 has a little less carbon than 1095, close to a 1080 grade, and HSS can be found with almost tamahagane properties at above 1% carbon.

 

[Cajunrider]

The issue with the damascus is that both steels melt at a different point, and you can't really "weld" both together the way you can do a single steel forge. Katanas are usually made by a single softer steel fold (or damascus depending on the era), then you sandwich the hard steel in the middle which will be your edge. Giving you the strength of the hard steel with some ductility from the softer steel. Like in the image below. Couldn't pull the full image... more info here.

View attachment 498893

as far as a single steel, HSS, 15N20 or 1095 would be a decent single steel knife. 15N20 has a little less carbon than 1095, close to a 1080 grade, and HSS can be found with almost tamahagane properties at above 1% carbon.

I am thinking of something more like M390.

 

[Maiden69]

From the little I have read about M390 I think that whoever is going to make the knife better have his skills up there, like Ryan and Bjorn do to bonsai. It is a very finicky steel as that the hardening process would make it a great knife, or a piece of crap. The few sites also state that while it retains the edge well, it is not as tough as other steels, which may come from the almost 2% carbon content.

Böhler M390 steel: what is it and why is it so popular?

Böhler M390 is one of the most popular types of steel at the moment. But why? Knivesandtools explains!

www.knivesandtools.com

But there is a catch: the heat treatment​

Up until now we have constantly talked about the type of steel and its composition. And yet this is perhaps not even the most important part. There is, for instance, the heat treatment. It is sometimes said that the type of steel is the body, but that the heat treatment determines the soul of the steel. There are namely different recipes to harden the same type of steel. It could, for instance, occur that M390 won't retain its sharpness as long with some manufacturers, but will be tougher and more corrosion resistant. Or that the competition introduces knives with an extremely wear resistant M390 that are more sensitive to rust. Are some better than others? That depends on the purpose. It is a choice. The tougher version will perform better during the more demanding tasks. The harder version will function better if you only need to pay attention to wear and tear and sharpness retention.

M390 Stainless Steel • Alpha Knife Supply - AKS

All the M390 we sell is blanchard ground. Learn Why… Alloy – Condition Thick Len Wid Price Qty Stock See All Blade Materials By Thickness: .040″ Group .060″ Group .080″ Group .100″ Group .120″ Group .140″ Group .160″ Group .180″ Group .200″ Group .220″ Group .240″ Group .260″ Group M390 Certs...

www.alphaknifesupply.com

M390 has very good edge holding and poor toughness. M390 Made using Bohler's third generation powder metallurgy process. It can be finished to a mirror polish with some effort. This alloy has become the high end factory knife steel.

 

[Cajunrider]

From the little I have read about M390 I think that whoever is going to make the knife better have his skills up there, like Ryan and Bjorn do to bonsai. It is a very finicky steel as that the hardening process would make it a great knife, or a piece of crap. The few sites also state that while it retains the edge well, it is not as tough as other steels, which may come from the almost 2% carbon content.

Böhler M390 steel: what is it and why is it so popular?

Böhler M390 is one of the most popular types of steel at the moment. But why? Knivesandtools explains!

www.knivesandtools.com

M390 Stainless Steel • Alpha Knife Supply - AKS

All the M390 we sell is blanchard ground. Learn Why… Alloy – Condition Thick Len Wid Price Qty Stock See All Blade Materials By Thickness: .040″ Group .060″ Group .080″ Group .100″ Group .120″ Group .140″ Group .160″ Group .180″ Group .200″ Group .220″ Group .240″ Group .260″ Group M390 Certs...

www.alphaknifesupply.com

That is why I asked the question. I am seeking the knowledge to get "The One" knife for me.
I read about M390 a bit more with info from Alpha Knife Supply, perhaps N690 is better for what I am thinking about.

 

[thatdirtykid]

I love accidently running into a knife nerd discussion. Knives are one of those hobbies that I have been interested in since I was a kid, but have been good to not dive in and spend way too much money. I enjoy trolling thrift stores and flea markets for old high carbon chefs knives and old survival/hunting knives. I don't own anything too fancy but my kitchen drawer is full of older wustof, henkel, vitctorinox and a couple japanese high carbon knives. Few things I can do indoors is more peaceful than sitting down with a cup of coffee, my whetstones and sharpening knives.

I would love to make knives some day, but so many hobbies and only so much space. . .

 

[Maiden69]

I would love to make knives some day, but so many hobbies and only so much space. . .

This is where I am at... I have everything needed but a furnace. They are rather cheap to make now, but I have no time nor space for another hobby.

 

[Lorax7]

I am not asking for Damascus. I am thinking about getting a premium steel knife blank and making or getting someone to make a knife to my liking.

If I was hiring someone to make another knife, I’d probably go for something like 1095, VG10, or a tool steel like T10. I have no knowledge about the M390 and the other one you mentioned. I’m not a blade smith myself, just a consumer who did some research before purchasing a custom blade.

The picture below is a 1095 blade that’s my go to general purpose knife. The steel is darker than what 1095 would ordinarily look like because it was blued by the smith that made it. The wavy line is a real hamon, which isn’t functionally important on a short blade like this, but it’s pretty and we all know that’s what really counts. The handle is rosewood, also because it’s pretty. It stays quite sharp through routine use. Any imperfections in the edge are attributable to my mediocre whetstone skills.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I make knives from time to time as a hobby. Occasionally I’ll trade them for stuff or gift them. @HorseloverFat can attest to the quality, durability and edge holding ability of a properly hardened 1095 blade. I sent him this one this past winter. The ones I make are from 1/8” 1095 bar stock, yea it’s not as pretty as Damascus but they hold a wicked sharp edge once properly heat treated and annealed and are almost indestructible. I do have plans for a large bush knife out of 3/16” 1095. I just haven’t had the time to finish my new, bigger forge.
View attachment 498877View attachment 498878

This knife is WICKED!!!

Best, multi-purpose blade I've ever used...

I used it, first, to cut down hunter's marks on public land... Leading to bait piles and "smell traps".. y'know? LAZY hunting!.. (common people... You can ACTUALLY "hunt")

It gets used to cut corn and potatoes when we are cooking in a hole on the dunes, to clear headspace in shrub trails. It has been used to slice pillowcases to make bandaids and even to crush and grind jewelweed and cure-all on the fly..

Buuuut I also use it to hand carve wooden tobacco pipes....

After the 4th pipe... I checked the blade...

There was no evidence of me EVER using the knife... It will STILL shave my wrist.. DRY!

 

[HorseloverFat]

I'm stoked. I bartered away a BC forest for a custom knife. I can't wait for my hybrid kirisutke-chopper Damascus knife.

Watch out wild pigs, fish, and alligators, here I come with a sharp blade. You will be food!

Hahaha!!! YESSSSS...

Damn varmin pigs won't know what hit 'em.

...

Is there a particular way to hunt gator with a knife? I know the "zone" for bullets...

 

[HorseloverFat]

When I worked processing/smoking at the fish house.. we'd have many days of cleaning around 1500 lbs of fresh whitefish, about half of that needed FULL cleaning, whether it be steaking or fileting.

...once you are used to a certain style/composition of blade and certain "task"....

You know the exact STROKE that the blade begins to get (too) dull... And it'll irritate the living hell out of you until you "fix it"



I wish I could remember what those knives we used there were made out of... I know they oxidized... And needed near daily sharpening/honing..

But... I was reeeeeal drunk then.

 

[Cajunrider]

When I worked processing/smoking at the fish house.. we'd have many days of cleaning around 1500 lbs of fresh whitefish, about half of that needed FULL cleaning, whether it be steaking or fileting.

...once you are used to a certain style/composition of blade and certain "task"....

You know the exact STROKE that the blade begins to get (too) dull... And it'll irritate the living hell out of you until you "fix it"



I wish I could remember what those knives we used there were made out of... I know they oxidized... And needed near daily sharpening/honing..

But... I was reeeeeal drunk then.

When I hold the entire weight of a knife with my hand and barely rest the blade on a tomato, if a slight movement doesn't cause the blade to pierce the skin, the knife is dull.
PS: A lot of my knives are dull. I will tolerate them until I have time to sharpen them. Yes it irritates me when the blade is dull. I will grab the steel and give the knife a few strokes and go on with my task but still it irritates me.

 

[Jthom123]

Otherwise, a beautiful knife nonetheless.


View attachment 498786

Thanks!

 

[Cajunrider]

All my kitchen knives are Japanese, I couldn't bring myself to buy traditional ones because of the price point, but the ones I have are decent at least. I favor the brand Yaxell, my first one was a kiritsuke Yaxell Mon, just to see if I could get used to them without chipping the hell out of the edge. After that I bought a chef's knife (gyuto) and an upgraded veggie chopper Ran Plus. This year my wife got me my first "traditional" knife, a sujihiki (slicer) from Haruyuki Kuma. While not traditional steel, this one is made with HSS edge encased in stainless steel, it is made by a traditional knife maker. Pretty sure not as expensive as some one off damascus knives, but they serve a purpose.

As far as a do it all, going to the jungle kinda knife my uncle had a kukri that he exchanged with an Hindu military soldier in the 70's that he used on jungle missions. Similar to the one below. Very cool knife, he "blued" the steel to make it inconspicuous.

View attachment 498796

I first missed the "similar to the one below" so I wondered if your uncle knife was legit because I have the exact same knife you show here. I bought one from Amazon and it is serviceable but nothing special.

 

[Cajunrider]

I am gathering knife test material. It is modern Damascus for look. The steel should be good for the hybrid functions I asked for. I am excited.

 

[Cajunrider]

It is on the way to me.

 

[Cajunrider]

Sweet knife. Tough enough to chop. Sharp enough to slice a cold brisket so thin I can see through.

 

[queenofsheba52]

That is a beautiful piece of handiwork. So glad you received it safely!! Enjoy it for many years.

(Bonus points for using "beaucoup" at the start of the thread.)

 

[Cajunrider]

When I hold the entire weight of a knife with my hand and barely rest the blade on a tomato, if a slight movement doesn't cause the blade to pierce the skin, the knife is dull.
PS: A lot of my knives are dull. I will tolerate them until I have time to sharpen them. Yes it irritates me when the blade is dull. I will grab the steel and give the knife a few strokes and go on with my task but still it irritates me.

This blade is sharp. The cut pieces release easily thanks to the deep grooves on the blade. That is a must for fast slicing. This knife definitely will be the knife in the kitchen. I have yet to try the chopping prowess. So far slicing through vegetables and meat is silky smooth.

 

[Jthom123]

This blade is sharp. The cut pieces release easily thanks to the deep grooves on the blade. That is a must for fast slicing. This knife definitely will be the knife in the kitchen. I have yet to try the chopping prowess. So far slicing through vegetables and meat is silky smooth.

So glad you like it my friend! I don't usually make them that stout, most of my chefs are thin. They're still very sturdy but once you told me what that thing would be going through I knew it had to have some extra thickness to it. Enjoy!
P.S. I can't wait to see the chicken video