When crafting knives, craftsmen make important decisions regarding materials, balance, shape, feel, and texture. These factors influence the harmony that is built between a knife and its user.
Steel Will Knives is a US-based company that makes some pretty great tactical and outdoor designs. They have a factory in Pennsylvania that’s pretty generous about showing off their process on their website.
Stainless steel
When crafting an exceptional knife craftsmen make vital decisions that impact materials, balance, shape, feel, and texture. Their goal is to create tools that provide harmony to the user.
Aside from the material, another important consideration is the overall quality of the steel. A good knife steel is a blend of hardness, toughness and corrosion resistance that is suited to the task at hand.
For example, if you’re making a blade that you intend to take with you in a rugged environment you should consider tool steels as they are tough and corrosion resistant without being too hard to sharpen. However, they will typically retain a poor edge and have less cutting ability than stainless steel.
Carbon steel
Carbon steel is used in a wide variety of products and applications, including washers, hammers, knives, and many other tools. It comes in low, medium and high carbon grades.
The higher the carbon content, the harder and less ductile it is. These qualities are important for knives that need to hold a sharp edge.
Carbon steel is also known for its toughness and corrosion resistance. This makes it an ideal choice for outdoor tasks, as well as tactical situations where a hard-wearing blade is essential.
Tool steel
When making a knife it is important to have a high-quality blade steel. There are many different types of steels and each one can offer unique performance advantages.
Tool steel – hard steel alloys used for cutting tools that tend to have good wear resistance, toughness and a long life when properly cared for. They take a sharp edge and are relatively easy to resharpen.
CPM M4 is a popular Crucible Particle Metallurgy (CPM) steel that combines excellent levels of abrasion and toughness with a high level of Molybdenum, Vanadium and Tungsten. It has a relatively high carbon content and can be hardened to about 62 HRC.
Wood
Wood is beautiful and versatile, but it’s also susceptible to damage. For instance, wood can warp when exposed to high heat or water.
That’s why some knife manufacturers choose to stabilize the wood they use to make their knives. This stabilization process makes the handle harder and more resistant to damage.
The researchers developed a process to preserve the cellulose in the wood that gives it a higher strength-to-density ratio than ceramics, metal or plastic.
They then removed the weaker components like lignin, which acts as a binder. The end result is wood that’s so hard that a fingernail won’t scratch it.
Leather
There are several different types of knives available, some of which work great for leather craft projects. Some are handheld, while others have replaceable blades.
These can come with a variety of handles, so it’s important to choose one that fits your hand. They also tend to be fairly inexpensive, so they’re a great way to start your leather crafting journey.
A leather knife can be used to cut, trim, and mark leather. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and some are even designed to cut thicker leathers than others.