Know Your Knives - The Best Metals for Knife Manufacturing

A favorite knife is as much of a companion to humans as a good friend. We carry knives for self-defense and use them for everyday utilities. The most used types are kitchen knives, penknives, and hunting knife varieties. One needs to know the proper category and composition of a knife for proper maintenance and utilization. There are several key tidbits one should know but the most basic and essential information is the material and manufacturing of the knife. This is important as most of the family heirlooms are made of silver and copper. Different metals need various maintenance and cleanliness techniques. Thus, knowing the composition of your knife is paramount. If you are a novice, do not fret. Follow this article to get a good grasp on basic knife concepts.

Best Metals for Knife Manufacturing

Good quality stilettos are usually made of stainless steel but there are many other materials as well. The best metals for making knives are:

• Tool Steel
• Carbon Steel
• Stainless Steel
• Semi-stainless steel

Tool Steel is usually a component in cutlery like forks and knives. It has given rise to many variants of the standard kitchen blade such as the bread knife, steak knife, butter knife, curved blade, etc. This hard alloy serves precise cutting purposes. D2 is the specialized high chromium and high carbon steel. It is used in making the most varieties of knives. Hunting knives are one of the products made from this special semi-stainless alloy. The semi-stainless steels are the varieties where a large number of impurities or an alien metal is included in the composition. Many metals induce different qualities in weapons such as strength, luster, sharpness, malleability, etc. Stainless steel is the most popular choice for EDC pocket knives and OTF knives. These knives are useful expressly for self-defense purposes. Thus, sharpness and strength are necessary. Unlike hunting knives, there is no need for curves or grooves. Stainless steel is also used to make arrowheads and armor plating for cosplay purposes. History buffs love to buy the vintage cast iron and copper-iron substitutes, but those often prove inefficient in performance. Carbon steel usually yields a coarse result giving a knife. Survival knives are a prime example of this. The cuts made from these knives are perfect for life on the road, but not very optimal for delicate everyday usage.

Damascus Steel

Damascus steel is a mythical alloy that forged the blades of legends and myth. Many historians argue that it was not mythical but an alloy from Wootz steel ingots. The blades of this steel had characteristic swirling multicolored patterns. However, the method of forging this particular compound has been obsolete for many centuries.

Most Common Blade Alloying Elements

• Carbon
• Chromium
• Cobalt
• Copper
• Manganese
• Molybdenum
• Nickel
• Niobium
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• Silicon
• Sulfur
• Tantalum
• Tungsten
• Titanium
• Vanadium

Of course, one of the most important aspects of knives is the quality of craftsmanship. One may ensure that the knife in their possession is of skillful craft. There are not many places that can guarantee this quality, but SwordsSwords is the place to trust. Our knives contain the highest quality of stainless steel and the least percentage of impurities. Buy our superior knife collection now!