Dendritic Steel - Curious to see if anyone prefers over other material

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Macilvaine33

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Does anyone use Dendritic Steel, of have any knives made of this material? How long does it last between sharpenings?

Thanks,

-Matt
 
I've never heard of this so done some googling and it sounds more suited to outdoor knives rather than kitchen knives. The the cast steel forms very large carbides are exposed along the blade edge during sharpening and can then break off, exposing more, or at least keep the edge very finely 'serrated'. Sounds good for a tough knife that sees long periods without seeing a stone.
 
From what I've read, stuff like investment cast 440C shows excellent edge retention when cutting fibrous stuff, but doesn't perform well with highly refined edges. I'm most familiar with Stuart Ackerman's Serrata, which is cast 440C. He recommends a 400 grit edge, which I would call 'toothy'. Apparently it's less tough than a stock removal equivalent but that's based on what the maker has said - no real experience.
 
I recall around 4 decades ago some American (I believe) company was selling a cast iron kitchen knife made by a process that filled it with fine particles of silicon carbide. Said to hold an edge better but prone to breaking if dropped, probably on the pricy side too, I don't think it caught on.


Rick
 
All very interesting. I have just started collecting and have some pieces made of this material and am just wanting to learn more. I know they make great outdoor knives out of this material, but I have kitchen knives.
 
Macilvaine33 said:
All very interesting. I have just started collecting and have some pieces made of this material and am just wanting to learn more. I know they make great outdoor knives out of this material, but I have kitchen knives.
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There are lots of great steels, I wouldn't get hung up on just one...or even worry about it for that matter...simply choose your maker and then either pick carbon or stainless...let the maker choose the steel he likes to work with.
 
^ This. As long as the maker is comfortable with the steel and it's heat treated well then any of the producers recommended on this site will give years of service.

This dendritic stuff sounds like it has trouble keeping a very fine edge, which is what you want in the kitchen.
 
A friend of mine has a "boat knife" made of dendritic steel. It looks a bit like a small bowie knife (I am not very clued up about outdoor knives). He has used it for about 20 years on various ocean going sailing craft as he reckons it is fantastic at giving a clean cut on nylon / synthetic ropes. Doesn't seem to be affected by the seawater. It is made by some US knife maker the name of whom escapes me but it begins with B or D (Doyce? Doyne?) I think. The knife is memorably rather crude, but a very good, tough tool. I remember him telling me all about dendritic steel years and years ago, and I forgot about until now seeing it pop up on this thread!
 
Adrian said:
A friend of mine has a "boat knife" made of dendritic steel. It looks a bit like a small bowie knife (I am not very clued up about outdoor knives). He has used it for about 20 years on various ocean going sailing craft as he reckons it is fantastic at giving a clean cut on nylon / synthetic ropes. Doesn't seem to be affected by the seawater. It is made by some US knife maker the name of whom escapes me but it begins with B or D (Doyce? Doyne?) I think. The knife is memorably rather crude, but a very good, tough tool. I remember him telling me all about dendritic steel years and years ago, and I forgot about until now seeing it pop up on this thread!
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I believe his name is Boye?
 
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