Choosing the Right Steel for the Job
In the world of knives, there are three general categories that knife steels will fall into. High Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, and Crap. Crap doesn't mean that the steels mentioned are bad steels, but that they are the wrong steels for the application of knifemaking. A lot of times those crap steels will be used in cheap overseas specials that you will find all over the internet. Spoiler Alert: You are not getting a true Damascus Steel Knife for $100. It's just not going to happen. But let's dig a little bit deeper to understand the differences.
Carbon Steel
Carbon Steel is a broad name for steel alloys that contain up to about 2% Carbon by weight. High Carbon Steel is the specific classification that is most commonly used in knifemaking for its balance in the characteristics of hardness, edge retention, and toughness. High Carbon Steels contain .6%-1.0% Carbon in their alloys. The Carbon Steels that we work with at this time are the 10XX series steels and O-1 Tool Steel.
The properties of carbon steels make them great for forging knives and they have long been used to make edged tools going back thousands of years. One of the properties that make Carbon Steel knives unique is that they do not have the stain resistant properties that Stainless Steel knives have and as such they will discolor and develop a patina as they age. This patina is actually the steel's defense mechanism against outside elements that could cause rust and as long as there is no red oxide formation, the patina is actually perfectly safe.
The one caveat with using a carbon steel knife is that they do require a bit more care than the average user is used to giving. Don't be intimidated by this though, Carbon Steel makes excellent cutting tools that with proper care will serve the user for decades or longer.
Stainless Steel
Stainless Steel is a broad category of steels that are alloyed with elements to inhibit the formation of rust and corrosion. Chromium is the alloying element that will designate a Steel as a stainless when the percentage is 11% or higher. Not all Stainless steel alloys are great for knifemaking because as with Carbon Steels, not all will harden and hold an edge. The Stainless Steels that we specialize in at this time are AEB-L a Stainless Steel that was developed for making Razor Blades, and 440C. Going forward we plan to offer more options, but AEB-L has proven to provide excellent balanced performance across many different applications.
The biggest advantage of stainless steels, is the ease of maintenance. Where a carbon steel will absolutely develop rust and a good stainless steel will resist that tendency. Don't get it misconstrued, Stainless Steels can absolutely rust if exposed to harsh conditions for extended periods of time, but they have noticeable resistance as compared to their non stainless counterparts. This is the big reason that Stainless Steel Knives are the most common in production knives. The downside to stainless knives is the additional cost due to material expense and more complex heat treat procedures.