What was the first contemporary "super-steel" to see mass distribution in the knife industry? M4? 10V?

[Larrin]

The first production knife super steels depends on whether or not you consider 440C or 154CM the first super steel. Gerber was using 440C in the late 1960s which was not long after it was being used in custom knives. It is quite possible that there were production knives using 440C before then but advertising the steel’s name was not common until more recent times. And I suppose if people didn’t know the steel’s name we can’t claim that it was a “super steel.”
https://www.google.com/books/edition/We ... frontcover
https://archive.org/details/sim_skin-di ... ary+blades”

The first steel to really be pushed as an extraordinary step up in knife steel was 154CM by Loveless in the early 1970s (though the steel is older than that) and it was being used by Schrade in 1975.
https://books.google.com/books?id=QzkYb ... cm&f=false

[yablanowitz]

Just FYI, Queen Cutlery was using 440C way back, in the 30s if I remember right. They just called it "Queen Steel", but if you see that etched on the blade or stamped on the tang, it's 440C.

[Larrin]

I would like to see a citation for that. 440C didn’t exist until the late 30s and it wasn’t called 440c until years later. But for my steel history work I need citations.

Edit: here is one of the claims - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Of ... frontcover
Similar to what I said above, the steel name wasn’t advertised.

[mmadison]

Wow. Awesome. Sal, many thanks for the story.

Larrin,

I realize this question will force you to work within extreme generalities, but, is there a relative humidity level over which you would expect modern high-carbide steels with low chromium %'s to corrode structurally over long periods of time (>5 years)?

Juxtaposed, a rh level under a certain amount in which you wouldn't?

Thanks for the info. And, great book.

[Larrin]

Wow. Awesome. Sal, many thanks for the story.

Larrin,

I realize this question will force you to work within extreme generalities, but, is there a relative humidity level over which you would expect modern high-carbide steels with low chromium %'s to corrode structurally over long periods of time (>5 years)?

Juxtaposed, a rh level under a certain amount in which you wouldn't?

Thanks for the info. And, great book.

There is an old experiment where they put steel at different chromium contents in various locations and measured weight loss (corrosion) and how much rust formed. Part of that study is shown in my book in the corrosion chapter.

[yablanowitz]

I would like to see a citation for that. 440C didn’t exist until the late 30s and it wasn’t called 440c until years later. But for my steel history work I need citations.

Edit: here is one of the claims - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Of ... frontcover
Similar to what I said above, the steel name wasn’t advertised.

Something I read.
https://queencutleryhistory.com/index.p ... n,-Cutlery

Maybe the Ph.D has me fooled.

[Larrin]

Something I read.
https://queencutleryhistory.com/index.p ... n,-Cutlery

Maybe the Ph.D has me fooled.

Asking for a citation doesn’t mean I am questioning what you said, it means I need a citation. David Krauss, PhD, in his article doesn’t say 440C but rather
“a type of 440 stainless” and given his expertise in the area of Queen Cutlery history he may be more reliable than the book that I linked to in my post that claims 440C. I will buy his book and see if he says more on the subject.

[yablanowitz]

I've actually read it in a couple of different histories on Queen, that was just the first one I found. I knew what you meant, and I wasn't around in the 30's to have first-hand knowledge, so I could be wrong. Since the author of that one had a Ph.D, I figured he did his due diligence.

[Larrin]

The article by Krauss also said they got their 440 stainless from Cyclops steel. In a book of available steel alloys it only lists 440A for Cyclops steel in the 1936 and 1945 editions, sold as “Stainless B” which is the generic term for 440A until the 440 designation was created.