How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

Discuss Spyderco's products and history.
User avatar
Larrin
Member
Posts: 864
Joined: Thu May 10, 2018 9:27 am
Contact:

How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#1

Post by Larrin »

In this article I describe what led to my becoming a knife steel metallurgist. I answered questions such as:
Why go to school for so long?
What was so interesting about knives and metallurgy?
Why start Knife Steel Nerds?
Is a metallurgy degree easy to get?
https://knifesteelnerds.com/2018/10/08/ ... allurgist/
http://www.KnifeSteelNerds.com - Steel Metallurgy topics related to knives
Brown_Recluse
Member
Posts: 197
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 4:03 pm

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#2

Post by Brown_Recluse »

Great article. I've always wondered what kind of steels are used in vehicle manufacturing and if it's at all similar to knife steels.
CPM S90V
Maxamet
CPM-M4
M390
CPM 20CV
Lc200N
CPM-S45VN
Tdog
Member
Posts: 1853
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 7:04 pm
Location: The woods of Florida

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#3

Post by Tdog »

Another great article. Thanks for sharing your life experiences and educational background. You are truly Blessed to have such wonderful children and family. We "knife nuts" appreciate your time in helping us better understand steel composition and qualities. Thank you. :)
User avatar
MichaelScott
Member
Posts: 3008
Joined: Mon Apr 13, 2015 11:42 am
Location: Southern Colorado

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#4

Post by MichaelScott »

Martin,

Thank you for that look into who you are. Panaca reminds me of La Veta where we live. Population 800.

Lovely family!

Regards,
Overheard at the end of the ice age, “We’ve been having such unnatural weather.”

http://acehotel.blog

Team Innovation
User avatar
Larrin
Member
Posts: 864
Joined: Thu May 10, 2018 9:27 am
Contact:

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#5

Post by Larrin »

MichaelScott wrote:
Mon Oct 08, 2018 8:41 am
Martin,

Thank you for that look into who you are. Panaca reminds me of La Veta where we live. Population 800.

Lovely family!

Regards,
I had a friend or two at Colorado School of Mines from rural Colorado. There's definitely a lot of similarities between small towns. Differences too of course.
http://www.KnifeSteelNerds.com - Steel Metallurgy topics related to knives
User avatar
SpyderEdgeForever
Member
Posts: 6325
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2012 6:53 pm
Location: USA

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#6

Post by SpyderEdgeForever »

This article is very good, Larrin. I do have one question: What advice do you have to people who love metallurgy and physics and the science of knives but who, while recognizing the need and importance of mathematics, detest all forms of math and are unable to do much of it beyond basic addition, substraction, division, and multiplication, ie, not good at algebra, calculus, trigonometry, or any of that, but, desire to have a successful metallurgy career? Are there ways around the math or is that something they will need to address?
JD Spydo
Member
Posts: 23532
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2004 7:53 pm
Location: Blue Springs, Missouri

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#7

Post by JD Spydo »

I truly want to thank you again LARRIN for sharing with us some of the pertinent information you've learned about knife steels and metallurgy in general. You've been a great addition to this forum and I thank you for taking the time to become part of the community. I''m going to send you a question that is quite detailed so keep an eye on your personal message box here on the Forum.

Hey being that someone brought up the old supersteel ZDP-189 and it has not been talked about for some time I was wanting to get your opinion on it.

I love the steel myself but for a steel that has all the chromium content I find it sort of weird that it doesn't seem to have a lot of corrsion resistance for whatever reason>> and I'm hoping that you can shed some light on that.
User avatar
Larrin
Member
Posts: 864
Joined: Thu May 10, 2018 9:27 am
Contact:

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#8

Post by Larrin »

SpyderEdgeForever wrote:
Mon Oct 08, 2018 9:46 am
This article is very good, Larrin. I do have one question: What advice do you have to people who love metallurgy and physics and the science of knives but who, while recognizing the need and importance of mathematics, detest all forms of math and are unable to do much of it beyond basic addition, substraction, division, and multiplication, ie, not good at algebra, calculus, trigonometry, or any of that, but, desire to have a successful metallurgy career? Are there ways around the math or is that something they will need to address?
I can't solve all problems but I can say a couple things:
1) The majority of math an Engineer does on a daily basis doesn't go beyond high school level math. Usually algebra with occasional geometry or trigonometry.
2) As far as school goes no one is incapable of doing math. Some are going to have to work harder than others. There are many resources out there now such as books, videos, and online resources for learning math. The classroom is not the only place to learn. Some hours/days dedicated to self-learning would likely go a long way toward preparing for taking a course.
3) Community colleges, Junior colleges, online colleges, etc. may have easier programs than Universities. Or at least cheaper.
4) There are different education paths for doing work that is part of, or at least related to, metallurgy. You can get started with welding or machining through technical schools and/or apprenticeships. There are engineering technology programs that are a little less math-focused than a full engineering degree.
http://www.KnifeSteelNerds.com - Steel Metallurgy topics related to knives
User avatar
Larrin
Member
Posts: 864
Joined: Thu May 10, 2018 9:27 am
Contact:

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#9

Post by Larrin »

JD Spydo wrote:
Mon Oct 08, 2018 10:15 am
I truly want to thank you again LARRIN for sharing with us some of the pertinent information you've learned about knife steels and metallurgy in general. You've been a great addition to this forum and I thank you for taking the time to become part of the community. I''m going to send you a question that is quite detailed so keep an eye on your personal message box here on the Forum.

Hey being that someone brought up the old supersteel ZDP-189 and it has not been talked about for some time I was wanting to get your opinion on it.

I love the steel myself but for a steel that has all the chromium content I find it sort of weird that it doesn't seem to have a lot of corrsion resistance for whatever reason>> and I'm hoping that you can shed some light on that.
I'm going to write an in-depth article on ZDP-189 someday. Reports of ZDP-180 corrosion resistance are a bit mixed. The Hitachi datasheet reports good corrosion resistance in the tests that they performed. Basically it comes down to the Cr:C ratio since there are few other alloying additions. After the chromium is eaten up in carbides what is left over is in solution to contribute to corrosion resistance. The general principles are given in my article on D2 corrosion resistance. D2 with 11Cr and 1.55C has a Cr:C ratio of about 7, which is actually higher than ZDP-189. 440C, 420, and AEB-L (all relatively simple stainless steels) are 17+. It's more complicated than a simple ratio but that might help you get a basic understanding.
http://www.KnifeSteelNerds.com - Steel Metallurgy topics related to knives
User avatar
Naperville
Member
Posts: 4360
Joined: Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:58 am
Location: Illinois, USA

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#10

Post by Naperville »

Excellent Article! Thanks for telling us what it took to get to where you are.

I like your knife steel articles. So far I have not found them too difficult. They are short and to the point. If I had any complaint it would be that they are not long enough, but they are to the point and not wandering all over the place.
I support the 2nd Amendment Organizations of GOA, NRA, FPC, SAF, and "Knife Rights"
T2T: https://tunnel2towers.org; Special Operations Wounded Warriors: https://sowwcharity.com/
User avatar
Larrin
Member
Posts: 864
Joined: Thu May 10, 2018 9:27 am
Contact:

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#11

Post by Larrin »

Naperville wrote:
Mon Oct 08, 2018 11:57 am
Excellent Article! Thanks for telling us what it took to get to where you are.

I like your knife steel articles. So far I have not found them too difficult. They are short and to the point. If I had any complaint it would be that they are not long enough, but they are to the point and not wandering all over the place.
It looks like my longest are:
Ranking the Steel Ranking Articles - 3730 words
How Chipping of Edges Happens at a Microscopic Level - 3646
Bainite vs Martensite - 3333

Maybe those are long enough for you. :)
http://www.KnifeSteelNerds.com - Steel Metallurgy topics related to knives
User avatar
Naperville
Member
Posts: 4360
Joined: Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:58 am
Location: Illinois, USA

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#12

Post by Naperville »

Larrin wrote:
Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:49 pm
Naperville wrote:
Mon Oct 08, 2018 11:57 am
Excellent Article! Thanks for telling us what it took to get to where you are.

I like your knife steel articles. So far I have not found them too difficult. They are short and to the point. If I had any complaint it would be that they are not long enough, but they are to the point and not wandering all over the place.
It looks like my longest are:
Ranking the Steel Ranking Articles - 3730 words
How Chipping of Edges Happens at a Microscopic Level - 3646
Bainite vs Martensite - 3333

Maybe those are long enough for you. :)
I've been trying to keep up with you on new articles and go back and re(read) everything else. Much can be learned.
I support the 2nd Amendment Organizations of GOA, NRA, FPC, SAF, and "Knife Rights"
T2T: https://tunnel2towers.org; Special Operations Wounded Warriors: https://sowwcharity.com/
The Meat man
Member
Posts: 5856
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 8:01 pm
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#13

Post by The Meat man »

Thanks for the article Larrin! Looks like you have a wonderful family. Thanks for giving us a look into your life history. It's so nice to be able to put faces and names to my fellow forum members, instead of just a nonhuman username. :)
- Connor

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
User avatar
Larrin
Member
Posts: 864
Joined: Thu May 10, 2018 9:27 am
Contact:

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#14

Post by Larrin »

The Meat man wrote:
Mon Oct 08, 2018 6:09 pm
Thanks for the article Larrin! Looks like you have a wonderful family. Thanks for giving us a look into your life history. It's so nice to be able to put faces and names to my fellow forum members, instead of just a nonhuman username. :)
And when anyone changes their avatar it’s like they’re a whole new person.
http://www.KnifeSteelNerds.com - Steel Metallurgy topics related to knives
The Meat man
Member
Posts: 5856
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 8:01 pm
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#15

Post by The Meat man »

Larrin wrote:
Mon Oct 08, 2018 6:11 pm
The Meat man wrote:
Mon Oct 08, 2018 6:09 pm
Thanks for the article Larrin! Looks like you have a wonderful family. Thanks for giving us a look into your life history. It's so nice to be able to put faces and names to my fellow forum members, instead of just a nonhuman username. :)
And when anyone changes their avatar it’s like they’re a whole new person.

Exactly. :) Takes some time to get used to the new one.
- Connor

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
User avatar
The Mastiff
Member
Posts: 5936
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 2:53 am
Location: raleigh nc

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#16

Post by The Mastiff »

Good article Larrin.

Say, maybe you can "invent" some powder F8 steel for us to make some knives of. The old stuff seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Not much use for it in industry anymore but I'd like to try it out in knives.

No need to explain. I know the answer. :)

Joe
User avatar
curlyhairedboy
Member
Posts: 2621
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2016 11:01 am
Location: Southern New England

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#17

Post by curlyhairedboy »

Always fun to see the path of a fellow materials engineer! It's not always an easy path, but I'm glad you've found it rewarding!
EDC Rotation: PITS, Damasteel Urban, Shaman, Ikuchi, Amalgam, CruCarta Shaman, Sage 5 LW, Serrated Caribbean Sheepsfoot CQI, XHP Shaman, M4/Micarta Shaman, 15v Shaman
Fixed Blades: Proficient, Magnacut Mule
Special and Sentimental: Southard, Squarehead LW, Ouroboros, Calendar Para 3 LW, 40th Anniversary Native, Ti Native, Calendar Watu, Tanto PM2
Would like to own again: CQI Caribbean Sheepsfoot PE, Watu
Wishlist: Magnacut, Shaman Sprints!
User avatar
Ngati Pom
Member
Posts: 341
Joined: Sun Dec 17, 2017 1:37 am
Location: Middle Earth

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#18

Post by Ngati Pom »

Hi Larrin, it's always interesting to hear of someone's journey to their vocation, thank you for sharing yours.
I appreciate the effort that you put into each and every article and have found them to be a wonderful resource.
'The future is already here;it's just not evenly distributed'
William Gibson
User avatar
Larrin
Member
Posts: 864
Joined: Thu May 10, 2018 9:27 am
Contact:

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#19

Post by Larrin »

The Mastiff wrote:
Tue Oct 09, 2018 1:42 am
Good article Larrin.

Say, maybe you can "invent" some powder F8 steel for us to make some knives of. The old stuff seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Not much use for it in industry anymore but I'd like to try it out in knives.

No need to explain. I know the answer. :)

Joe
I think there are other steels I would be interested in first but it doesn't hurt to dream. :)
http://www.KnifeSteelNerds.com - Steel Metallurgy topics related to knives
User avatar
SpyderEdgeForever
Member
Posts: 6325
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2012 6:53 pm
Location: USA

Re: How I Became a Knife Steel Metallurgist

#20

Post by SpyderEdgeForever »

Thank you, this article and the other articles and advice you give is very helpful!
Post Reply