Question for Larrin - Casting a Blade

[ajhuff]

I guess I just don't understand what you're asking. What is "near net shape"?

Boye's blades are cast. From the second link:

"Dendritic Steel is a term first used by knifemaker David Boye to describe the cast 440c stainless steel he developed in 1981. This revolutionary blade technology has proven superior to most other cutlery alloys in both edge holding capability and ease of sharpening. The process used to produce it, investment casting, transforms the original steel into one infused with microscopic crystals which create tiny serrations along the blade edge. These micro-serrations enable the blade to stay sharp from 10 to 50 times longer than a conventional blade. It also has a better "bite" (the ability to grip and cut into slippery objects --a tomato, for example) than conventional steel blades. It cuts like a razor blade by microscopically sawing the object, thereby achieving a finer and faster cut."

Here's a pic of the cast dendritic cobalt blade:

I see that the material is investment cast. It doesn't say the blade is. For all I know he's casting bars and slicing them into knife blanks. And we won't even get into the "discovery of dendritic steel" mumbo jumbo.

-AJ

[Pensacola Tiger]

PT, I think the OP is saying that just because the material is created by casting doesn't imply that the blade is cast... i.e. "forged" vs "stock removal"...

From what I can tell from the one I have, the blade is cast, then a bevel is ground. I think the pic I posted pretty much shows that if you look at his maker's mark.

I could be totally wrong, of course.

[ajhuff]

Cool! Thanks!

-AJ

[Reede]

There was a bit of buzz probably 8-10 years ago on Blade Forums about a product called Liquid Metal and the possibility of casting finished size blades. It disappeared from mention fairly quickly. I remember the general thought being that it would probably only apply to mass production knives, because the mold making process was pretty expensive. I am assuming that since we haven't heard about it in a long time, that the stuff didn't end up being advantageous to use for knife blades.

Here's a link:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...idmetal-knives

[Zwiefel]

From this link: http://boyeknives.com/
"Not a steel, it is a mixture of cobalt, chrome, nickel, tungsten, silicon, iron, and carbon."

It's got Iron + Carbon...what else is needed to call it steel?

[WildBoar]

"...The process used to produce it, investment casting, transforms the original steel into one infused with microscopic crystals which create tiny serrations along the blade edge. These micro-serrations enable the blade to stay sharp from 10 to 50 times longer than a conventional blade. It also has a better "bite" (the ability to grip and cut into slippery objects --a tomato, for example) than conventional steel blades. It cuts like a razor blade by microscopically sawing the object, thereby achieving a finer and faster cut."

They took what would be considered a negative related to the casting process and present it as a net positive. So is it more like a gyuto that has been finished on a 1000 grit stone for some 'toothiness', or more like a Cutco?

[TB_London]

Stuart Ackerman (formerly Zackerty) also does cast blades in, I think 440c. Really nice knives take a ferocious toothy edge, hence the name Serrata. AFAIK he's doing a colab with spyderco which is currently underway

[ajhuff]

Thanks TB, that helped a lot. I was able to find this:
http://knifedogs.com/showthread.php?...ng-the-Serrata

It's a different approach than what I was envisioning but pretty slick. He's getting a much better yield than I would have thought. Very interesting.

-AJ

[Larrin]

Since my name is on the thread I'll just say I have nothing to say.

[wenus2]

Since my name is on the thread I'll just say I have nothing to say.

Your mother taught you well.