Chef knife steel question

Txcwboy

Txcwboy

Well-Known Member
I want to make a chef knife , I was reading Bob Kramers site and he said 52100 is one of the best to use. Upon reading Heat treating requirements, I probably cant HT it. So is there some company that will or is there another steel that is a better choice when your a heat to red and dunk it guy :biggrin:

thanks

Dave
 
Dave, you can send it out to Peter's, depending on your timing needs. I'll have a batch going out to him in a few weeks, you are more than welcome to piggyback your blade(s) with mine. How large is it going to be? Is it your first kitchen knife? Also, 1084 Makes a good kitchen knife if you're set on doing it yourself.
 
I make folders. Some fix blades. I have a ats34 blank Ive had for years and grind on it every now and then, but not really wanting to make a SS one and its kinda thick. So I guess it is my first kitchen knife per say.
 
Kitchen = Food, acid, blood, vinegar,salt,bone. 440C or fancier.3 places carbon does not belong. Boats, operating rooms and kitchens. The whining will begin about now.... but when you're slicing tomatoes, drunk, at 9PM on a Sat night, you will NOT wipe down and oil the blade. When the pop tab on the canned tuna breaks off at a 3 am munchie fest you will NUT look for the can opener. Keep the blade at 55 rc or so so it doesn't chip. If it gets a lil bent on the edge you can slap it with a meat mallet.
 
Hey Dave, call me when you get a chance. I may be able to help you out. My number is in my sigline, try to call between 9am & 9pm. If I miss you leave me a message and I'll get back to you.
 
Cacique said:
Kitchen = Food, acid, blood, vinegar,salt,bone. 440C or fancier.3 places carbon does not belong. Boats, operating rooms and kitchens. The whining will begin about now.... but when you're slicing tomatoes, drunk, at 9PM on a Sat night, you will NOT wipe down and oil the blade. When the pop tab on the canned tuna breaks off at a 3 am munchie fest you will NUT look for the can opener. Keep the blade at 55 rc or so so it doesn't chip. If it gets a lil bent on the edge you can slap it with a meat mallet.
Click to expand...

Interesting take.
 
Cacique said:
Kitchen = Food, acid, blood, vinegar,salt,bone. 440C or fancier.3 places carbon does not belong. Boats, operating rooms and kitchens. The whining will begin about now.... but when you're slicing tomatoes, drunk, at 9PM on a Sat night, you will NOT wipe down and oil the blade. When the pop tab on the canned tuna breaks off at a 3 am munchie fest you will NUT look for the can opener. Keep the blade at 55 rc or so so it doesn't chip. If it gets a lil bent on the edge you can slap it with a meat mallet.
Click to expand...

No disrespect to Bob Kramer,
but I agree that stainless is the way to go for culinary knives. Some will tell you about the beautiful "Patina" carbon will develop in the kitchen, I call it rust, and prefer not to have my food exposed to it

Ats-34 will work fine if you have it. CPM-154 has a bit better corrison resistance and finer grain structure so it is what I use for my culinary knives along with CPM-S35VN and good ole 440C for small paring knives.

I don't use my knives to open cans and prefer the edge retention of having the RC at 59-61 depending on the type of culinary knife i am making?
 
While I've always liked high carbon steel, my wife insists on SS for her kitchen knives, so I'm using Sandvik 12C27 for her knives. I've been impressed with how well it works - takes a nice polish, and sharpens easy. The couple I've done have tested about 56 and 59 Rc and that seems to be good.

Ken
 
Hm.
I know plenty of chefs that love non-stainless, and appreciate that a well formed patina works as well on a knife as it does in a cast iron pan to protect tool and food.

That said, I agree- most people definitely should have only stainless for daily using knives. If they don't express a definite preference for HC, it's stainless all the way.
Andy G.
 
Its for a neighbor that is a chef and she said she wanted a BadA$$ chef knife. So she is well versed in the care of a good knife. Most of the $$$ Japanese and USA chefs knives arent SS. SO I just figured I go that direction.
 
If you want high carbon, then 51200 is a very good choice. I used 5160 (I think - an old coil spring?) for one knife and it developed a very DARK patina that the wife didn't like at all. I later did a 52100 that seems to develope a light patina the wife says is "ok", but she likes the 440C and 12C27 Stainless knives MUCH better. I sorta like the 52100 myself.

Ken H>
 
Another "in the middle" option would be CPM D2. I find it to be a very good performer in the kitchen, and very resistant to staining. Regular D2 will take on a patina fairly quickly, but for some reason the CPM D2 resists it quite well... of course, if you want to force a patina, FeCl3 will do the trick.
 
if you are going to heat and dunk, go with 1084. heat to 1475, soak a minute, quench in parks 50, wash, temper at 300F, should have about Rc62 or so. That is how I did my favorite cleaver, will cut tomatoes so thin you can see thru them.
the old sailor
 
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