cast dendritic cobalt?

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Chef Niloc

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Any of you have experience with it?

What can you guys tell me about it, and compare it to steels I might be more familiar with.
 
I assume you're referring to the Boye knives. It's a cobalt alloy rather than a steel. These cobalt alloys have large carbides and good wear resistance but much lower hardness than knife steels. It's greatest attribute is corrosion resistance. He calls it dendritic because it's cast to shape making the carbides even larger and more segregated.
 
So he's purposely trying to make the carbides larger to get built-in micro-serrations? Interesting... sounds ideal for cutting rope in a salt water environment, but maybe not much else.
 
The casting to shape is more likely a manufacturing decision rather than a performance one.

It's completely different than 52100 or AEB-L. 52100 or AEB-L are fine carbide steels for razors and thin knives. The cobalt alloy is much lower hardness and higher wear resistance, it should only be used in thicker knives for slicing abrasive materials. It's primary use is for applications requiring very high corrosion resistance.
 

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