Knife write up LinkedIn by Uddeholm

izafireman

Well-Known Member

This is the knife I posted on here recently with the build write up.
 
Let's see if this works...

March 2017 saw the launch of Uddeholm Vanax SuperClean® a material that had been in the making for over 10 years.

No alt text provided for this image
Lucky enough myself to attend the product launch of what promised to be the introduction of a new metallurgical breakthrough in the world of stainless steel.

The launch of Vanax SuperClean® a new type of powder metallurgical steel, was held at Uddeholm HQ in Hagfors (Sweden) the days were full of technical information and metallurgy beyond my comprehension at times however one thing was clear Uddeholm had cooked up something special in their kitchen.

Initial trials and case study's within the food and marine industry showed exciting results for Vanax over high carbon stainless steel grades such as 440c and softer austenitic stainless's such as 316ss. The combined properties that forever have been sought after for high wear properties in extreme corrosive environments. Applications such as bearing housings, knives for processing meat and screws for processing demanding polymers such as Teflon and recycled PVC. The message was evident Uddeholm Vanax SuperClean® is a problem solver in the extreme conditions.

This steel grade was never going to be used in the every day applications but when nothing else has what it takes Vanax SuperClean® is the answer. Its safe to say I was so impressed by this groundbreaking steel grade that I wanted "my own slice of Uddeholm Vanax".

This brings me to mention the man that took the time and investment to design and manufacture my knife. Peter Eaton is a bespoke artisan knife maker and a keen user of Uddeholm Elmax SuperClean® another powder metallurgy steel from Uddeholm. Peter has been developing his skills for 12 years, he started making and selling knives around 5 years ago. I approached Peter to make a knife using a sheet of Vanax and after explaining the fantastic properties of the steel Peter was keen to make a start . Find out more about Peter Eaton.

No alt text provided for this image
Peter Eaton - I started to grind the surface and cutting angles using several grades of abrasive belts on a 2 x 72 knife grinder, First using 36 grit Cubitron 2 ceramic belts in order to remove the majority of the steel from the centreline upwards towards the spine of the blank. As the Vanax blank was being ground at full hardness it was important to keep the blade cool by constantly dipping the blank in cold water. The belt grit was then changed to a Cubitron 2 belt of 120 grit and there after the belts were changed to 3M Gator ceramic belts in a grit sequence of 120 grit to 400 grit. By this stage of the grinding process the grind had reached the spine of the knife and there was no plunge line as such apart from a very slight transition just in front of the handle.

The next stage of the process was to flatten both surfaces of the knife and blend the transition area in order no plunge or grinding marks would be seen on the final finish. This was achieved by using stitched cotton wheels on the buffer of ‘scurf’ wheels of various grits. The sequence was 220 then 320 grits and once again the steel had to be cooled in water when working with the wheels.

The final stage for the surface finish of the blade was the most time consuming to hand sand the knife with 320, 400, 600 and 1000 grits. On the final strokes of the sanding process the grit was then dropped back to 600 grit with steady strokes along the length of the knife to ensure perfect sanding lines in one direction only.

No alt text provided for this image
The next stage of the process was the sharpening of the blade. I am confident that Vanax as with Elmax can be ground to an extremely thin edge, it is not uncommon for makers to sharpen Elmax to as low as 13 degrees per side due to the fact Elmax has incredible edge stability which other steels cannot replicate. Even so as this was my first time using Vanax I decided to go for 22 degrees per side as most sharpening systems would be able to replicate this angle.

The first stage of the sharpening process was to take both cutting edges to 24 degrees by a quick pass on the 2 x 72 inch belt grinder using 400 grit Micro mesh belts in order to remove the bulk of the material. From there on the sharpening was done on a Tormek T8 water cooled sharpening system and which when used in conjunction with a jig rest which clamps the knife tightly.

Due to he incredible wear resistance of both Vanax and Elmax this was done using Cubic Boron Nitride wheels. The knife was held in a jig and then presented to the first wheel which was a 600 grit CBN wheel, it was then onto a 1000 grit CBN wheel. During this process the blade edges were kept cool by a constant stream of water as the CBN wheels were in a water bath on the side of the T8. The knife was extremely sharp by the end of this process.

No alt text provided for this image
The final stage was honing in order to remove the burr that had been raised on the edge of the bevel. For this I used a slow running buffer that had been converted to hold a compressed paper wheel on either side. One wheel was coated with 5 micron diamond compound, the other in 2.5 diamond compound. Once again several measurements were calculated to a precise height of the rests that the jig moved along so that the blade edge was quickly passed over the 5 micron wheel first and then the 2.5 micron wheel. The end result was a kitchen knife that had edges honed to within .5 of a degree accuracy ensuring incredibly sharp edge that was shaving sharp and had the ability to cut Rizla papers.….that’s a sharp edge!

No alt text provided for this image
The next step was to make the handle and Peter did not disappoint using locally sourced Silver Birch, which really complements the knife. In order to make the handle Peter had to allow the wood to season then ‘cook in the oven for 24 hrs to ensure a zero moisture content.

The wood was then placed into a vacuum chamber and immersed in stabilizing fluid for 6 hrs. It was then allowed to soak in the liquid for 24 hrs to allow atmospheric pressure to force the liquid into the cellular structure of the wood. The wood was then cooked for 3 hrs to ‘cure ‘ the resin which set rock hard. The wood was then cut into two book matched scales and epoxied to the knife handle with the addition of mosaic pins for extra beauty. Then Peter had to shape the handle by profiling, using various sanding grits and finishing at 800 grit. The handle was then polished using various buffing compounds.

No alt text provided for this image
The knife was then laser etched by Moors Brothers Engraving https://www.moorsbrothers.com/

As an extra feature Peter opted for a protective / safety sheath which was made by Gary Kendall of ‘Stealth Hippy Bushcraft’ to the highest standards. https://www.stealthhippy.co.uk/

It is with special thanks to Peter Eaton for his time and resources making the knife from scratch. It takes true skill, patience and the knowledge of the right tools for the job. I use the knife daily in the home for cutting all types of food and packaging and I saw the difference straight away in performance to shop purchased knives. It cuts beautifully with little effort and no sign of wear up to now.

No alt text provided for this image
For more information on Uddeholm Vanax SuperClean® check out the website link FOR TOUGH CONDITIONS AND EXTREME DEMANDS or contact us to discuss your application.

No alt text provided for this image
 
Let's see if this works...

March 2017 saw the launch of Uddeholm Vanax SuperClean® a material that had been in the making for over 10 years.

No alt text provided for this image
Lucky enough myself to attend the product launch of what promised to be the introduction of a new metallurgical breakthrough in the world of stainless steel.

The launch of Vanax SuperClean® a new type of powder metallurgical steel, was held at Uddeholm HQ in Hagfors (Sweden) the days were full of technical information and metallurgy beyond my comprehension at times however one thing was clear Uddeholm had cooked up something special in their kitchen.

Initial trials and case study's within the food and marine industry showed exciting results for Vanax over high carbon stainless steel grades such as 440c and softer austenitic stainless's such as 316ss. The combined properties that forever have been sought after for high wear properties in extreme corrosive environments. Applications such as bearing housings, knives for processing meat and screws for processing demanding polymers such as Teflon and recycled PVC. The message was evident Uddeholm Vanax SuperClean® is a problem solver in the extreme conditions.

This steel grade was never going to be used in the every day applications but when nothing else has what it takes Vanax SuperClean® is the answer. Its safe to say I was so impressed by this groundbreaking steel grade that I wanted "my own slice of Uddeholm Vanax".

This brings me to mention the man that took the time and investment to design and manufacture my knife. Peter Eaton is a bespoke artisan knife maker and a keen user of Uddeholm Elmax SuperClean® another powder metallurgy steel from Uddeholm. Peter has been developing his skills for 12 years, he started making and selling knives around 5 years ago. I approached Peter to make a knife using a sheet of Vanax and after explaining the fantastic properties of the steel Peter was keen to make a start . Find out more about Peter Eaton.

No alt text provided for this image
Peter Eaton - I started to grind the surface and cutting angles using several grades of abrasive belts on a 2 x 72 knife grinder, First using 36 grit Cubitron 2 ceramic belts in order to remove the majority of the steel from the centreline upwards towards the spine of the blank. As the Vanax blank was being ground at full hardness it was important to keep the blade cool by constantly dipping the blank in cold water. The belt grit was then changed to a Cubitron 2 belt of 120 grit and there after the belts were changed to 3M Gator ceramic belts in a grit sequence of 120 grit to 400 grit. By this stage of the grinding process the grind had reached the spine of the knife and there was no plunge line as such apart from a very slight transition just in front of the handle.

The next stage of the process was to flatten both surfaces of the knife and blend the transition area in order no plunge or grinding marks would be seen on the final finish. This was achieved by using stitched cotton wheels on the buffer of ‘scurf’ wheels of various grits. The sequence was 220 then 320 grits and once again the steel had to be cooled in water when working with the wheels.

The final stage for the surface finish of the blade was the most time consuming to hand sand the knife with 320, 400, 600 and 1000 grits. On the final strokes of the sanding process the grit was then dropped back to 600 grit with steady strokes along the length of the knife to ensure perfect sanding lines in one direction only.

No alt text provided for this image
The next stage of the process was the sharpening of the blade. I am confident that Vanax as with Elmax can be ground to an extremely thin edge, it is not uncommon for makers to sharpen Elmax to as low as 13 degrees per side due to the fact Elmax has incredible edge stability which other steels cannot replicate. Even so as this was my first time using Vanax I decided to go for 22 degrees per side as most sharpening systems would be able to replicate this angle.

The first stage of the sharpening process was to take both cutting edges to 24 degrees by a quick pass on the 2 x 72 inch belt grinder using 400 grit Micro mesh belts in order to remove the bulk of the material. From there on the sharpening was done on a Tormek T8 water cooled sharpening system and which when used in conjunction with a jig rest which clamps the knife tightly.

Due to he incredible wear resistance of both Vanax and Elmax this was done using Cubic Boron Nitride wheels. The knife was held in a jig and then presented to the first wheel which was a 600 grit CBN wheel, it was then onto a 1000 grit CBN wheel. During this process the blade edges were kept cool by a constant stream of water as the CBN wheels were in a water bath on the side of the T8. The knife was extremely sharp by the end of this process.

No alt text provided for this image
The final stage was honing in order to remove the burr that had been raised on the edge of the bevel. For this I used a slow running buffer that had been converted to hold a compressed paper wheel on either side. One wheel was coated with 5 micron diamond compound, the other in 2.5 diamond compound. Once again several measurements were calculated to a precise height of the rests that the jig moved along so that the blade edge was quickly passed over the 5 micron wheel first and then the 2.5 micron wheel. The end result was a kitchen knife that had edges honed to within .5 of a degree accuracy ensuring incredibly sharp edge that was shaving sharp and had the ability to cut Rizla papers.….that’s a sharp edge!

No alt text provided for this image
The next step was to make the handle and Peter did not disappoint using locally sourced Silver Birch, which really complements the knife. In order to make the handle Peter had to allow the wood to season then ‘cook in the oven for 24 hrs to ensure a zero moisture content.

The wood was then placed into a vacuum chamber and immersed in stabilizing fluid for 6 hrs. It was then allowed to soak in the liquid for 24 hrs to allow atmospheric pressure to force the liquid into the cellular structure of the wood. The wood was then cooked for 3 hrs to ‘cure ‘ the resin which set rock hard. The wood was then cut into two book matched scales and epoxied to the knife handle with the addition of mosaic pins for extra beauty. Then Peter had to shape the handle by profiling, using various sanding grits and finishing at 800 grit. The handle was then polished using various buffing compounds.

No alt text provided for this image
The knife was then laser etched by Moors Brothers Engraving https://www.moorsbrothers.com/

As an extra feature Peter opted for a protective / safety sheath which was made by Gary Kendall of ‘Stealth Hippy Bushcraft’ to the highest standards. https://www.stealthhippy.co.uk/

It is with special thanks to Peter Eaton for his time and resources making the knife from scratch. It takes true skill, patience and the knowledge of the right tools for the job. I use the knife daily in the home for cutting all types of food and packaging and I saw the difference straight away in performance to shop purchased knives. It cuts beautifully with little effort and no sign of wear up to now.

No alt text provided for this image
For more information on Uddeholm Vanax SuperClean® check out the website link FOR TOUGH CONDITIONS AND EXTREME DEMANDS or contact us to discuss your application.

No alt text provided for this image

Thanks for doing this.

Scott is UK based and the Swedish division picked up the article and said they wanted it world wide, so brought a smile to my face and I was glad to help Scott as a decent guy. I will add a few images for those who might not have seen my previous posting of the knife several weeks back. The only part of write up I picked up on with the edge stability quote as I am sure other steels will have good stability at really low angles.

I would like to thank those who gave me tips on hand sanding on this forum as without your help and advise, especially recommending Ryhnowet I don't think I would have got the clean lines in the hand sanding...so cheers gents.
 

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That's a beautiful knife Peter, and thanks to tkroenlein for getting the story posted, that was a great right up for you. :D
 
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