|
All of the materials
that go into Schrade knives are of the highest quality and
have been selected for use after extensive testing. The
most important part of a knife is the blade and the steel
that it is made from. In selecting the steel for a knife
blade we look at two main attributes:
- The ability
of the blade to hold an edge when properly heat treated,
and:
- The ease of
resharpening once the edge is dull.
Over the years
we have settled on two steels that we feel give the best all
around results in our knives. One is a high carbon steel and
the other is a stainless steel.
We use AISI 1095
high carbon steel in our Old Timer knives (except where noted).
This is a very traditional cutlery steel which has a carbon
content of between 0.95 % and 1.05 % .1095 steel is famous
for both its edge hold ability and resharpening ease. One
of the characteristics of this steel is that it will darken
or discolor with use, especially if used on meats or fruits.
Care must also be taken with a carbon steel knife in order
to prevent rust. The blades should be kept dry and lightly
oiled occasionally.
On our Uncle Henry
line and Heritage line we use AISI 440A stainless steel. Knives
with this steel will have a Schrade+ in their tang stamp.
440A gets its stainless properties from the inclusion of 17%
chrome with 0.7% carbon in the steel. We have found that 440A
is equally as good a cutlery steel as 1095, as well as having
the added benefit of a high degree of stain and rust resistance.
Typical chemical
composition of 1095 and 440A are given below.
|
