Analysis of Cutting Tools Made In the Industrial Age to the Present
In the beginning, people were focused on understanding and improving upon procedures to create iron and steel. Once those procedures were fully grasped, people’s attention moved to producing knives that possess significant weight. This is to ensure the knife is capable of cutting with minimal effort from the user.
Blade and Knife Development in the Industrial Age
Not long after, knife-making became an endeavor that didn’t require a lot of money. Knives were easily obtainable at this point, and a number of cities within the European continent ended up turning into leading locations of knife production.
In America around early 19th century, knife-making facilities were established in states such as Massachusetts and Connecticut. These production facilities shared a total of 3 common factors:
1) Close by and easily obtainable supply of iron ore.
2) Rivers or streams that are fast flowing for the purpose of running waterwheels.
3) A plethora of wood for the purpose of producing charcoals which are necessary for firing up the furnace.
Before the year 1921, carbon steel was the alloy commonly used to manufacture the majority of kitchen knives available at the time. Carbon steel is an alloy that possesses a mixture of carbon and iron along with a number of other trace elements. Numerous knife enthusiasts favor carbon steel due to its remarkable ability to take a keen edge.
Sure, the edge of a blade composed of carbon steel can dull fairly fast, but the upside is the edge’s shape can be swiftly steeled back with minimal effort. The big downside of using carbon steel is it will blemish almost right away upon coming into contact with acidic foods. Also, as time passes it will discolor merely from being exposed to air. Leaving the blade damp will result in rust, which can critically impair a carbon steel knife’s cutting edge.
The fact of the matter is carbon steel knives demand a pretty thorough upkeep to ensure that they will not only look pleasant, but works and cuts effortlessly as well. Problem is the average customer typically doesn’t want to be bogged down with extensive upkeep that a high-maintenance knife requires.
So in the 1920s, knife-making companies started putting out knives that were composed of stainless steel. This form of steel ensures a blade is able to remain sharp for a longer period of time compared to blade that is crafted out of carbon steel. Stainless steel has its share of drawbacks of course, and the biggest one is that it is too tough to be sharpened on a steel.
In fact, its toughness is very close to that of a steel for the latter to produce the desired effect. The high-carbon stainless steel knives that the majority of us make use of nowadays were designed after the Second World War and, in my view, turn out to be a wonderful compromise! If you take the time to check out the logo side of a number of high-carbon stainless knives, you will notice the formula X 50 Cr MoV 15. This is actually the alloy employed to create high-carbon stainless steel and it contains .5 percent carbon. Converting iron into steel wouldn’t be possible without this all-important alloy.
The metallurgical combination has to be properly balanced in order to inhibit the oxidation that defaces the carbon steel knife, as well as raises the blade’s strength and flexibility. The perfect metallurgical mix must consist of chromium, molybdenum and vanadium with a total volume of 15%, and the compulsory minimum amount of 13% chromium. This is the metallurgy science of crafting knives that can withstand corrosion, capable of sustaining an edge for an extended length of time and possessing the capacity to be rejuvenated with the aid of only a handful of strokes of a sharpening steel.
On display below are two carbon steel chef’s knives - one of which is brand new, while the other is fairly old.
In America around early 19th century, knife-making facilities were established in states such as Massachusetts and Connecticut. These production facilities shared a total of 3 common factors:
1) Close by and easily obtainable supply of iron ore.
2) Rivers or streams that are fast flowing for the purpose of running waterwheels.
3) A plethora of wood for the purpose of producing charcoals which are necessary for firing up the furnace.
Before the year 1921, carbon steel was the alloy commonly used to manufacture the majority of kitchen knives available at the time. Carbon steel is an alloy that possesses a mixture of carbon and iron along with a number of other trace elements. Numerous knife enthusiasts favor carbon steel due to its remarkable ability to take a keen edge.
Sure, the edge of a blade composed of carbon steel can dull fairly fast, but the upside is the edge’s shape can be swiftly steeled back with minimal effort. The big downside of using carbon steel is it will blemish almost right away upon coming into contact with acidic foods. Also, as time passes it will discolor merely from being exposed to air. Leaving the blade damp will result in rust, which can critically impair a carbon steel knife’s cutting edge.
The fact of the matter is carbon steel knives demand a pretty thorough upkeep to ensure that they will not only look pleasant, but works and cuts effortlessly as well. Problem is the average customer typically doesn’t want to be bogged down with extensive upkeep that a high-maintenance knife requires.
So in the 1920s, knife-making companies started putting out knives that were composed of stainless steel. This form of steel ensures a blade is able to remain sharp for a longer period of time compared to blade that is crafted out of carbon steel. Stainless steel has its share of drawbacks of course, and the biggest one is that it is too tough to be sharpened on a steel.
In fact, its toughness is very close to that of a steel for the latter to produce the desired effect. The high-carbon stainless steel knives that the majority of us make use of nowadays were designed after the Second World War and, in my view, turn out to be a wonderful compromise! If you take the time to check out the logo side of a number of high-carbon stainless knives, you will notice the formula X 50 Cr MoV 15. This is actually the alloy employed to create high-carbon stainless steel and it contains .5 percent carbon. Converting iron into steel wouldn’t be possible without this all-important alloy.
The metallurgical combination has to be properly balanced in order to inhibit the oxidation that defaces the carbon steel knife, as well as raises the blade’s strength and flexibility. The perfect metallurgical mix must consist of chromium, molybdenum and vanadium with a total volume of 15%, and the compulsory minimum amount of 13% chromium. This is the metallurgy science of crafting knives that can withstand corrosion, capable of sustaining an edge for an extended length of time and possessing the capacity to be rejuvenated with the aid of only a handful of strokes of a sharpening steel.
On display below are two carbon steel chef’s knives - one of which is brand new, while the other is fairly old.
The knife at the top is crafted by Sabatier and it is a French-style knife. It is one of only a handful of makers that still produce this type of knife. The knife located right below is crafted by Dexter-Russell.
Blade and Knife Development in the Present Era
In this day and age, knife manufacturers only employ three different techniques to make their knives:
1) The Drop-Forging Technique
2) The Precision Forging Technique
3) The Stamping Technique
The first technique is basically an ‘old-school’ way of crafting knives. Drop-forging is very loud and produces a lot of mess, thus it is not a technique that can be regarded as environmental-friendly.
Here’s a picture demonstrating the different levels in the drop-forging method. From bottom to top they are: the cut blank, pressing post drop-forging, clearing away the flashing, the raw knife outline prior to tapering, the tapered and polished knife, and the end product. This picture clearly displays firsthand complexity of crafting a knife using the drop-forging technique.
The first step in the process is to die-cut a thick plank of alloyed steel, get it heated and then positioning it in the drop-forge with the intention of creating a flat piece. The next step involves the removal of the cut away and blacksmith can commence with the heat treatment process. During the next tempering (heating accompanied by speedy cool down in order to solidify the steel) and annealing (heating accompanied by slow cooling to keep brittleness at bay) temperatures are controlled in a careful manner.
The speedy cool down method is referred to as quenching. It is typically done in a vat of oil, and is considered the crucial stage, in which the heated metal undergoes a fast and rather extreme reduction in temperature. The knife developed out of the heat treatment procedure will have a fairly dreadful appearance.
The knife’s thickness still remains, therefore it is mandatory to taper-ground it and then have it well polished for protection against corrosion. The handles are then attached as well as polished, and then the beveled edge is ground on. Lastly the knife is inspected thoroughly by both human and machine to ensure top-quality control.
The precision forging technique is not the same as the drop-forging technique. The cut blank is heated within the center just to create the bolster, and then is put through precisely the same heat treatment as the drop-forging technique. The next steps involve taper-grinding, polishing, handle attachment and beveling procedures also like drop-forging. As opposed to die-cutting a blank from a thick steel plank, the blank in precision forging is cut directly from rolls of steel.
The first step in the process is to die-cut a thick plank of alloyed steel, get it heated and then positioning it in the drop-forge with the intention of creating a flat piece. The next step involves the removal of the cut away and blacksmith can commence with the heat treatment process. During the next tempering (heating accompanied by speedy cool down in order to solidify the steel) and annealing (heating accompanied by slow cooling to keep brittleness at bay) temperatures are controlled in a careful manner.
The speedy cool down method is referred to as quenching. It is typically done in a vat of oil, and is considered the crucial stage, in which the heated metal undergoes a fast and rather extreme reduction in temperature. The knife developed out of the heat treatment procedure will have a fairly dreadful appearance.
The knife’s thickness still remains, therefore it is mandatory to taper-ground it and then have it well polished for protection against corrosion. The handles are then attached as well as polished, and then the beveled edge is ground on. Lastly the knife is inspected thoroughly by both human and machine to ensure top-quality control.
The precision forging technique is not the same as the drop-forging technique. The cut blank is heated within the center just to create the bolster, and then is put through precisely the same heat treatment as the drop-forging technique. The next steps involve taper-grinding, polishing, handle attachment and beveling procedures also like drop-forging. As opposed to die-cutting a blank from a thick steel plank, the blank in precision forging is cut directly from rolls of steel.
Check out the image above which clearly shows the procedure employed to create a stamped knife, in this instance a boning knife. Now, don't assume all knives possess a full tang or bolster! The truth is knives with those features are typically the really pricey models that knife companies often create.
As you can see from the image, after cutting away the flashing (second from top right), this boning knife possesses neither, yet it is created by a knife company with an excellent track record of producing genuinely high quality blades, even in their stamped line, and this is true for many renowned manufacturers. The forged knife will in most cases, present an advantage in overall quality but for certain chores, like boning and filleting, all you will need is a stamped knife.
Regardless of all the innovations in both materials and procedures, the standard composition of the knife hasn’t evolved all that much. It appears the forged knife retains a single-edge blade along with a handle plus some kind of bolster in between. The handle, originally of wood or in some cases horn, is now composed of plastic or other composite product, but the basic design appears to have withstood the test of time.
As you can see from the image, after cutting away the flashing (second from top right), this boning knife possesses neither, yet it is created by a knife company with an excellent track record of producing genuinely high quality blades, even in their stamped line, and this is true for many renowned manufacturers. The forged knife will in most cases, present an advantage in overall quality but for certain chores, like boning and filleting, all you will need is a stamped knife.
Regardless of all the innovations in both materials and procedures, the standard composition of the knife hasn’t evolved all that much. It appears the forged knife retains a single-edge blade along with a handle plus some kind of bolster in between. The handle, originally of wood or in some cases horn, is now composed of plastic or other composite product, but the basic design appears to have withstood the test of time.