Emerson Knives

Just received some Emerson knives in.

Take a look at some fine, USA made, heavy duty knives or reward yourself and buy one.

Thanks for looking,
Rob

Just received some Spyderco Lionspys C157GTIP

New and currently (03/12/12) in stock.

$280.99 + shipping

Rob

Spyderco Price Increase!

What goes up, must come down.  That isn't always the way it works, especially when it comes to inflation.  The cost of raw materials, regulation and more are ever increasing it seems and it effects our pocketbooks everywhere we dare open them. 

Effective January 1, 2012, Spyderco, Inc. will be increasing the wholesale and MSRP on most of their product line.  National Knives will follow suit on January 1, 2012.  Because of time constraints, National Knives, doing business as Robbob8 on eBay, has already increased prices there (eBay).  www.NationalKnives.com  pricing, as stated previously, will be changed to reflect the price increase on January 1, 2012. 

Get your orders in now and save some $$$.

As a side note, National Knives is now a supporting (Dealer) member of www.BladeForums.com under the user name National_Knives.  If you are not a member, you should consider joining one of the largest online communities of cutlery enthusiasts in the world.  A lot of great people and knowledge.

Rob

Video overview and written review of the Spyderco Bob Lum Chinese folder models.

http://EdgeObeserver.com has done it again with an overview of the Spyderco Lum Chinese folder. Look for the coupon code good for $5.00 off at NationalKnives.com. http://www.edgeobserver.com/?p=1073

What a Steel! A look at Carpenter Technology Corporation.

In the late 1800s, James Carpenter received a patent for a tool steel that was air-hardened.  At that point in history, James Carpenter's industrial complex amounted to just one building in Pennsylvania.  This was the beginning of what would be known today as Carpenter Technology Corporation, a producer of a wide array of steels along with other metallurgical products.

Carpenter Technology Corporation produces a wide array of products that surround us in our day to day lives.  In the car you drive, the plane you fly, from the doctor's office to outer space, chances are you have encountered their products without even knowing about it.  Unlike the cars and planes that are branded with the manufacturers name and logo, Carpenter and other industry suppliers don't often get the opportunity to brand their products, at least not in a fashion that would be recognizable to most of us.  The premium knife industry understands that the type of steel used to make the blade of the knife is very important to the end user (you and me).  With this in mind, knife manufacturers have been labeling the blades of their knives with the type of steel used to produce it.  This bit of information helps those of us that have a steel fixation (also known as "Steel Junkies") to better choose the knife that is most appropriate for the task at hand. 

CTS™ XHP

• Offers grindability, edge retention and corrosion resistance comparable to 440C stainless steel.
• Contains 1.60% Carbon, 0.40% Silicon, 0.35% Nickel, 0.45% Vanadium, 0.50% Manganese, 16.00% Chromium, 0.80% Molybdenum.
• Ideal hardness (HRc) is between 60 - 64.
• Can be compared to a corrosion resistant D2 tool steel or a high hardness (HRc) 440C stainless steel.
• Can be polished or left in a matte finish.

Spyderco Military, Plain 4" CTS-XHP Blade, Brown G-10 Handle Sprint Run C36GPBNXHP

CTS™ BD1

• Offers high hardness and wear resistance
• Contains 0.85% - 0.95% Carbon, 0.040% Phosphorous, 1.00% Silicon, 0.50% Molybdenum, 1.00% Manganese, 0.030% Sulfur, 15.00% - 17.00% Chromium.
• Ideal hardness (HRc) is between 58 - 60.

Spyderco UK Penknife, CTS-BD1 Stainless Steel Blade, FRN Handle C94FRN

CTS™ 204P

• Offers high wear resistance and high corrosion resistance.
• Contains 1.90% Carbon, 0.60% Silicon, 1.00% Molybdenum, 0.65% Tungsten, 0.35% Manganese, 20.00% Chromium, 4.00% Vanadium.
• Ideal hardness (HRc) is between 57 - 63.

CTS™ 40CP

• Offers high hardness.
• Contains 0.95% - 1.20% Carbon, 0.040% Phosphorous, 1.00% Silicon, 0.75% Molybdenum, 1.00% Manganese, 0.030% Sulfur, 16.00% - 18.00% Chromium.
• Ideal hardness (HRc) is between 60 - 62.

CTS™ 20CP (Micro-Melt­® 420 CW)

• Offers high wear resistance and high corrosion resistance
• Contains 2.25% Carbon, 0.030% Sulfur, 12.80% Chromium, 9.25% Vanadium, 0.50% Manganese, 0.90% Silicon, 1.30% Molybdenum.
• Ideal hardness (HRc) 56 - 60.
• Compared to Crucible Industries CPM® S90V

Spyderco ParaMilitary 2, Plain Edge CTS-20CP Blade, Gray G-10 Handle, Sprint Run, C81GGY20CP2

CTS™ TMT (Trinamet® Stainless)

• Offers excellent corrosion resistance.
• Contains 0.30% Carbon, 0.040% Phosphorous, 1.00% Silicon, 1.00% - 3.00% Molybdenum, 1.00% Manganese, 0.030% Sulfur, 12.00% - 14.00% Chromium, 2.00% - 3.00% Copper
• Ideal hardness (HRc) 49 - 53.

CTS­­™ 10 (410 Stainless)

• Offers good corrosion resistance.
• Contains 0.15% Carbon, 0.040% Phosphorous, 1.00% Silicon, 1.00% Manganese, 0.030% Sulfur, 11.50% - 13.50% Chromium.
• Often used in creating a Damascus style pattern (laminate) on knife blade.

 

Al Mar Ultra Chef, Plain VG-10 Stainless Steel Blade with 410 Stainless Steel Layers (33 per side) and 410 Stainless Steel Handle SC8

CTS­™ 20 (420 Stainless)

• Offer good corrosion resistance.
• Contains 0.15% Carbon, 0.040% Phosphorous, 1.00% Silicon, 1.00% Manganese, 0.030% Sulfur, 12.00% - 14.00% Chromium.
• Offers better corrosion resistances than CTS™ 10 (410 Stainless) as well as better strength and hardness.
• Ideal hardness (HRc) 49 - 52

CTS™ 40A (440A Stainless)

• Offers better hardness than 410 and 420 stainless steels
• Contains 0.60% - 0.75% Carbon, 0.040% Phosphorous, 1.00% Silicon, 0.75% Molybdenum, 1.00% Manganese, 0.030% Sulfur, 16.00% - 18.00% Chromium
• Ideal hardness (HRc) 50 - 57

CTS™ 40C (440C Stainless)

• Offers higher attainable hardness levels than CTS™ 40A (440A Stainless).
• Contains 0.95% - 1.20% Carbon, 0.040% Phosphorous, 1.00% Silicon, 0.75% Molybdenum, 1.00% Manganese, 0.030% Sulfur, 16.00% - 18.00% Chromium
• Ideal hardness (HRc) 56 - 60.

Spyderco Cat, Plain 2-7/16" 440C Stainless Steel Blade, Black G-10 Handle, C129GP

­CTS™ B52 (52100 Alloy)

• Offer great wear resistance.
• Contains 1.00% Carbon, 0.25% Silicon, 0.30% Manganese, 1.40% Chromium.
• Ideal hardness (HRc) 48 - 66

CTS™ B70 (CRB® 7 Alloy)

• Offers good corrosion resistance and wear resistance.
• Contains 1.10% Carbon, 0.30% Silicon, 2.00% Molybdenum, 1.00% Vanadium, 0.40% Manganese, 14.00% Chromium, 0.25% Columbium/Niobium.
• Ideal hardness (HRc) 58 - 64.

Carpenter Technology offers a wide array of steels, some of which are currently or have been used in the cutlery industry as well as others that have the potential to be used in the cutlery industry.  This is just a basic breakdown of some of Carpenter's products.  The ingredients used to make these steels offer differing characteristics which are better explained here.

Rob

"Alloy TechZone." Advanced Specialty, Titanium and Powder Metallurgy Materials from Carpenter Technology. CRScartech.com>.

The Edge Obeserver Video Overview of the Caly 3.5 Sprint Run C144GPGY

WOW! Awesome video overview and written review of the Spyderco Caly 3.5 Sprint @ The Edge Observerer. Check it out. - http://www.edgeobserver.com/?p=952

Spyderco Caly 3.5, Plain 3-1/2" Aogami Super Blue Steel Blade, Gray G-10 Handle C144GPGY

Rob

What a Steel! - What do those ingredients mean to me?

In "What a Steel! Part 1" and in future "What a Steel!" posts, I will do my best to accurately list what each steel contains, giving them their characteristics.  In doing so, I won't be listing what each ingredient does each time it is listed, instead I will use this post as a reference and will point each "What a Steel!" post back to this one for reference.  This will allow you, my readers and customers, the ability to better determine how each of the ingredients affect the steel performance, both in a positive and negative manner. 

The one component that remains consistent amongst all steels is iron.  However, iron is not sourced from one or two locations, but multiple locations and from multiple sources.  Iron is inherently a soft metal and is hardened and made usable as a knife blade by the addition of other ingredients, each of which adds and/or detracts a quality or qualities, such a corrosion resistance.
Please feel free to comment on this post as well as any other post.

This post will be updated often as new information becomes available and does not contain all elements used in the production of various types of steel. 

Carbon - C

• Most common element added to iron.
• Increases hardness.
• Increased edge retention.
• High carbon steels tend to be a bit more resistant to corrosion.
• According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), a for a steel to be considered high carbon, it must contain at least 0.3% carbon.  Many high carbon steels used in knife manufacturing hover in the 1.00% area.

Chromium - Cr

• Added to create stainless steel.
• A minimum of 10% chromium is required for a steel to be considered stainless according to AISI.
• When exposed to oxygen, chromium forms a protective barrier to aid in corrosion resistance.
• Corrosion resistance (rust resistance) is not the same as corrosion proof (rust proof) and most stainless steels will oxidize (corrode) given the ideal conditions.
• Hardness and toughness also benefit from the addition of chromium.

Copper - Cu

• Aides in corrosion resistance

Hydrogen - H

• Used in place of carbon to make H1 stainless steel.
• Used to partially replace carbon to make X15 stainless steel.
• H1 stainless steel has shown strong evidence to be the closest to a true "rust proof" stainless steel.

Manganese - Mn

• Aides in ability to harden and overall hardness
• Aides in overall toughness.
• Adds to corrosion resistance
• Aides in the ability to machine.

Molybdenum - Mo

• Aides in the ability to harden and in overall hardness.
• Aides in toughness and corrosion resistance.
• Helps with the ability to machine.

Nickel - Ni

• Aides in overall toughness.
• May aide in corrosion resistance.
• Necessary ingredient in austenitic (chromium/nickel) stainless steel, which is the most common variety. According to the AISI, this type of stainless steel accounts for approximately 70% of all stainless steel production.

Niobium - Nb

• Aides in grain production
• Aides in corrosion resistance

Phosphorous - P

• Aides in the ability to machine.
• Aides in the ability to harden.

Silicon - Si

• Added to metal in the molten state to aide in the removal of gases and oxidation.
• Aides in overall strength.

Sulfur - S

• Aides in the ability to machine.

Tungsten - W

• Aides in toughness and wear resistance.
• Aides in the ability harden.

Vanadium - V

• Added to aide in wear resistance and strength.
• Allows for fine grain production during heat treatment attributing to the overall hardness (HRc) of the finished blade, edge retention and overall sharpness.
• Toughness also benefits from the addition of vanadium.

Rob