New Steels in the House

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Marko Tsourkan

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Just got some new steels and PM stainless should be arriving next week.

52100
Mystery Carbon (2 bars, but can order more from Devin if there is interest)
John Thomas 52100 Damascus (ladder and bubble-wrap, with chevron in 2-3 weeks)
PM stainless should be arriving next week

Might be adding one or two more steels shortly.

All are in .14 ~(3.4mm thickness) or so.

M
 
Exciting! Can't wait to see what you create with those steals.
 
Does that mean you will be accepting some custom orders now?
 
Sounds great Marko.

Are these steels mono or clad? I've been meaning to ask specifically about DT's Mystery Carbon.
 
Sounds great Marko.

Are these steels mono or clad? I've been meaning to ask specifically about DT's Mystery Carbon.

These are all going to be monosteel knives. I will use san mai construction down the road with damascus cladding, but the core steel and damascus cladding will be the same steel like AEB-L or 52100, so when heat treated, the core and cladding will be of the same hardness ~ 62RC.

Mystery carbon will need to be pork fat treated to force the patina, as the steel the very reactive, but once forced, the patina will be spectacular. This steel should have better wear resistance than 52100.

M
 
I will take mystery carbon any day of the week.
 
Hmmmm, now I have to choose between mystery carbon and 52100?

I have no idea how far down the list I am, so I guess I will just have to sit and wait patiently until I hear from you Marko.
 
Yeah I was all set on 52100 but now mystery carbon comes in all, "hey look at me!"

You're tearing me apart Marko! :pullhair:
 
Devin said the mystery carbon has a bit more wear resistance than 52100. I will heat treat it similarly to 52100 aiming for most wear resistance.

M
 
I need to wrap up the current work (including custom handle work from the past) before working on damascus and and mystery carbon, but I am very curious myself how they turn out, etching in particular on damascus.

M
 
I ground a couple of blades out of mystery carbon. I don't think it's all that reactive. I didn't treat mine with anything before I started using them.
 
Eye Candi for Patina Nuts!

Adding Mystery Carbon steel as a choice. I source it from Devin. It is very similar to 52100 in performance with a touch of more wear resistance. However, it takes an incredible patina, especially if you force it with animal fats.

Pics will have to come from other people, as I won't be able to bring myself to force patina onto a knife that I spent a couple of hours polishing.
M
 
Eye Candi for Patina Nuts!
Pics will have to come from other people, as I won't be able to bring myself to force patina onto a knife that I spent a couple of hours polishing.
M

:lol2:

OK, who's gonna' show some patina?
 
No one yet, but I will be getting enough steel for 20+ knives. Right now I have two bars on hand.

M
 
No one yet, but I will be getting enough steel for 20+ knives. Right now I have two bars on hand.

M

Maybe we can do the scimitar in Mystery Carbon. Seems like a good fit. Plus I got plenty of 52100 from you already.
 
Sure.

I am also debating whether I should make some stock honesuki in this steel. A2, 52100 and mystery carbon are all good choices, but mystery carbon will be a more of a looker (because of patina) that the other two, as well as extra wear resistance and comparable sharpness to 52100 puts it ahead of the three, though A2 will probably beat both of them on wear resistance, but not on sharpness.
 
Sure.

I am also debating whether I should make some stock honesuki in this steel. A2, 52100 and mystery carbon are all good choices, but mystery carbon will be a more of a looker (because of patina) that the other two, as well as extra wear resistance and comparable sharpness to 52100 puts it ahead of the three, though A2 will probably beat both of them on wear resistance, but not on sharpness.

Since 52100 and MC are better choices for gyutos, sujis, pettys, etc, maybe using the A2 you have for the honesukis is a good idea.
 
It doesn't patina that well. It has 5% chromium as opposed to 1.5% in 52100 and even less in mystery carbon, but on wear resistance it will probably beat both of the former.
 
I am a little biased, but "mystery" carbon is probably one of my favorite steels. It takes a patina similar to W2, but darker and much faster. Even with as quickly as it forms a patina, there was never a off smell or taste transference.
 
Sure.

I am also debating whether I should make some stock honesuki in this steel. A2, 52100 and mystery carbon are all good choices, but mystery carbon will be a more of a looker (because of patina) that the other two, as well as extra wear resistance and comparable sharpness to 52100 puts it ahead of the three, though A2 will probably beat both of them on wear resistance, but not on sharpness.

I would definitely take a honesuki in mystery carbon if you offer it.
 
I will heat treat a gyuto in it today, maybe add a couple of honesukis. Similarly to 52100, this This steel has very low level of impurities (like sulfur) so there will be no smell.

Here is patina on Rick's:

d79a0c75.jpg
 
Heat treated 2 knives in this steel for most wear resistance. I call it supercharging. Now, I just have to hope I can still polish it by hand. Might have to go only up to 320 grit. Wear resistant steels = resistant to any abrasion, be it sharpening or polishing.

M
 
Here are some Mystery patina picks as well:

IMG_0120.jpg


IMG_1252.jpg


I can only imagine how sweet a mono steel would look.
 
The practice knives sale was to pay for this and other steels (A2 among others) that I am to order shortly.

I have done some experimental heat treating and testing this steel in a pro kitchen and this is a very promising steel. For one thing it is less reactive than other carbon steels due to higher chromium content. It also has vanadium, so it already guaranteed to have more wear resistance than most carbon steels. In terms of sharpness, it gets a notch less sharp than 52100 due to a larger carbide size, but in the 2-5K sharpness range it holds edge better. It is not a substitute or challenger to 52100, but a good steel in its own right for people who want a long lasting edge and are not too preoccupied with highest level of sharpness.

M
 
DT Mystery Carbon
Heat-treated 275mm gyuto in mystery carbon steel. Will grind today and make handle, hopefully a completed knife by tomorrow. Can't wait to put an edge on it and take it to the cutting board. In my heat treatment I went for the keenest edge as well as most wear resistance.

M
 
Just got a confirmation that two steels on order are being shipped today or tomorrow. They were to be shipped a while back, but it turned out, one was backordered and I had to wait.

So the list of choices will be the following:

52100
52100 damascus by John Thomas - ladder, raindrop, chevron patterns
A-2
DT Mystery Carbon (have 1 bar on hand, can order more from Devin)
Mystery PM stainless (this one will stay unnamed.
Another PM stainless steel is coming as well. This one will be turned into an pro kitchen test knife and until properly tested, no decision will be made as to offer it or not.
AEB-L available upon request (will need to order from Devin)
AEB-L damascus steels (san mai and solid) on hold, as Devin is still unable to work.

With Devin's help, I worked out a very good heat treatment for each of these steels. Each make a very good knife, and we will continue tweaking HT for more performance as the more feedback comes in.

Thanks,
M
 
Sounds exciting. Can't wait to here about and see the results
 
PM steels (not CPM 154), A2 and some more 52100 have arrived today. I am currently looking for a water-jet or a laser-jet cutting service, to cut them into blanks. Chevron pattern 52100 JT damascus should be arriving any day now.
 

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