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FROZEN SHARP! Cryogenically Treated Blades
Cryogenic quenching may be performed on a single blade or hundreds at a time. Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Paul Bos said he may do a single blade or put a large quantity in a basket for immersion at one time, and control the rate of cooling and return to room temperature precisely. (Buck Knives photo)
Given the right steels, cryo treatments can enhance overall performance as well as aesthetics
By Mike Haskew, BLADE® field editor
Whether called cryogenic quenching or the probably more correct cryogenic treating of the steel, the process of freeze treating to help make a steel the best performer it can be is nothing new. Since the U.S. military became involved in cryogenically quenching steels during World War II and required it in the manufacture of various defense-related products, several methods have been evaluated with the same goal in mind: optimizing the amount of martensitic iron in the structure of the steel while minimizing the residual amount of austenitic iron. In turn, the qualities most sought in a knife blade are enhanced, particularly edge holding.
“There are different ways that cryogenic treating is performed,” explained Scott Devanna, vice president of marketing and product development for Carpenter Steel, “but all methods are designed to accomplish the same goal, although the methods sometimes attain differing degrees of transformation from austenite to martensite. Cryogenic treatment is not a different type of quenching method but is an additional treatment normally used after quenching. It’s used after the quench in an effort to achieve more complete transformation of austenite to martensite [martensite being the hardest of the transformation products of austenite].
“Most tool steels actually develop their hardened structure, or martensite, during the quench,” he continued. “For various reasons, however, in some cases transformation to martensite may not be complete even at room temperature. In such cases, some of the high-temperature microstructure, or austenite, may be retained after normal heat treating.”
A2 and D2, as well as other high-alloyed tool and specialty steels, may contain as much as 20 percent austenite after normal heat treating. Cooling the steel to cryogenic temperatures furthers the conversion to martensite. However, the process is specialized and requires close attention to actual temperature, levels of exposure, and the time intervals involved in raising and lowering the temperatures of the steel itself.
“The newly formed martensite is similar to the original as-quenched structure and must be tempered,” Devanna warned. “Cryogenic treatments should always be followed by tempering. Often the cryogenic treatment is actually performed between normally scheduled multiple tempers. Technically, cryogenic treatments are most effective as an integral part of the original quench, but due to the high risk of cracking, it’s recommended that tempering or a snap temper be performed before any cryogenic treatments.”
The cryogenic quench itself is performed primarily in two ways: shallow and deep treatments. In the shallow treatment, the blade steel is brought to approximately -112°F for five hours, while in the deep treatment it is reduced to roughly -321°F for about 35 hours. This is most often accomplished through immersion in liquid nitrogen.
“The term quench tends to imply that there’s a rapid change in temperature,” noted Spencer Frazer of SOG Specialty Knives & Tools. “In the case of cryogenic treatment, the quench term is quite misleading. Due to the severity of the temperature involved, quenching the material would cause it to crack or fracture. For that reason, cryogenic treatment is performed using computer-controlled temperature changes. At SOG, we use a version of deep cryogenic treatment, and some adjustments were made to the standard method to best suit the knife steels SOG uses. We consider it a supplementary process that helps improve the wear resistance of the blade steel.”
Blending In The Clumps
Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Paul Bos began heat treating knife blades in the 1950s. Back then he worked in the aircraft industry and treated a number of components. He said he also has seen the cryogenic process produce higher performance in guitar strings, women’s nylon stockings, gun barrels and engine parts.
“I figured if the military wanted it done, then it would be good for knives,” Bos said. “Originally, it was there to get rid of austenite in martensitic steel. Austenite makes steel brittle, and under a microscope you can see what looks like little clumps of carbon. The cryogenic process is like putting stuff in a blender with clumps and pretty soon everything is mixed in a fine solution. Once you do the cryo on a steel, then the austenite dissipates and you are left with a fine grain structure.”
Bos does a snap temper on high-carbon tool steel and then the cryogenic process at -280°F for about eight hours, and then brings the steel slowly back up to room temperature before a second temper. While cryogenic quenching is not a necessity on high-carbon steels*, its effects are more profound on higher-alloy-content steels, which do not completely transition from austenite to martensite at room temperature.
“Once the steel gets past -100°F it’s in a state where you aren’t hurting it, but you can’t leave it in there too long,” Bos added. “Some guys go right from the quench into the cryo, but the blade could crack or break, and I don’t do that because I can’t take a chance with my customers’ blades.”
Both factory and custom knifemakers take advantage of cryogenic quenching, and the process may be performed on a single blade or hundreds at a time. Bos’s career has spanned decades of heat treating blades for Buck and for a vast number of custom makers, including some of the most famous of all time. He may do a single blade or put a large quantity in a basket for immersion at one time, and control the rate of cooling and return to room temperature precisely.
According to Bos, creating the optimal transformation of austenite to martensite is an integral part of the heat-treating process. To obtain the maximum formation of martensite, two or more complete tempering cycles are necessary following the sub-zero cryogenic quench. He stressed that the blades always should be allowed to cool to room temperature between tempering sessions.
Deep-Treatment Believer
For many custom makers, the benefits of cryogenic quenching are proven in the knife’s overall performance. Bob Beaty is a firm believer in the deep treatment below -300°F. A knifemaker since 1994, he does, however, note that simple steels do not seem to exhibit enhanced performance as a result of the procedure.
“I do both forging and stock removal,” Beaty remarked, “and basically you find most of the benefit in the more complex stainless steels. I believe the knife stays sharper longer, and I’ve tested that a lot and am still testing it. Once a month I’ll cut rope, cardboard and leather. I always get a big difference, probably a 40-to-50-percent difference in edge-holding capability, as the cryogenic quench refines the grain of the steel.”
Though he admits there are skeptics, Beaty says the enhancements of the cryogenic quench are real. In fact, he says he has experienced fewer incidences of edge chipping and an easier time getting a mirror finish on a blade after the cryogenic treatment.
For the custom maker, outsourcing cryogenic treating remains the most efficient method of getting the job done. “I recommend it for those makers using complex steels, and I’m only charged a small amount for the blades I send for cryo treating,” Beaty noted. “One of the downsides of liquid nitrogen is it evaporates, and that would make the process more expensive for me. Not only would I have to buy the nitrogen, but also the tank and other equipment, including an oven. It really does not add much to the overall cost of the knife. Of course, if you wanted to, you could cryo treat something in a thermos bottle. Just don’t put the lid on it, don’t put your hand in it, and don’t do it in your wife’s kitchen!”
A Difference Maker
The choice of steel apparently drives the benefit of the cryogenic quench. From a knife buyer’s standpoint, a cryogenically treated blade could make the difference in performance and easily justify any minimal added expense.
*According to Paul Bos, high-carbon steel usually is any steel containing anywhere from .6 to 2 percent carbon.
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb040312#BL1SU.
Here’s a Fun Video To Watch of Knifemaker Bob Neal
This is a great video of Kentucky knifemaker Bob Neal in action. I think you’ll enjoy it:
A Revolution in Slip-Joint Construction
Unlike the traditional pocketknife in which the backspring rises and falls when the blade is opened and closed, the backbar of Tom Ferry’s model equipped with the Everflush Spring (top) remains flush when the blade is opened and closed. Ferry (above) works on a model with the mechanism in his shop.
The Everflush Spring takes the traditional pocketknife folding mechanism to the next level
By Lorien Arnold
As the traditional slip joint experiences a rebirth in favor among knife enthusiasts, there is increasing room for innovation in the knife’s classic, time-tested construction method.
Enter Tom Ferry and Mike Vagnino.
Innovators and educators, they have forged their paths in steel. Developing techniques and learning new skills, while at the same time teaching others, the two have collaborated on a concept that incorporates a generations-old method for assembling a slip joint, while bringing it into new worlds of materials and technology.
“[An] idea evolved from the desire to engrave the backbar of slip-joint folders,” Ferry began. “The reason this was all but impossible before was that slip-joint backbars or [back]springs are heat treated, making them difficult to engrave, and, due to timing issues, [the engraving] was not easily done prior to heat treatment.
“I had been bouncing the idea around trying to come up with a solution. One night while opening an automatic knife I noticed the internal kicker spring, which in many ways is similar in placement to a slip-joint spring. After doing some preliminary drawings, I contacted Mike for his input and assistance in developing the mechanism further. By sharing and combining forces, we cut the development time in half and have created a great working mechanism.
“In total there have been at least five variations of the spring,” Ferry continued, “and Mike has taken the development further by creating the first multi-blade slip joint with the [new] mechanism. Mike coined the name the Everflush Spring because the backbar is always flush with the top of the handle.”
You will notice the knives with the new spring in the accompanying photographs do not always correspond in form to the classic interpretation of the slip joint. Sporting titanium liners, bolsters and backbars, carbon fiber handles and high-alloy stainless blades, materials more common in the tactical category can be used to constitute the knives. To that end, the Everflush Spring allows for a completely solid handle configuration.
The standard slip joint, whose backbar is a spring and must be free to move, can develop play on either side of the spring. The Everflush Spring design can incorporate pivot bearings for an action that is smooth with a crisp half stop. “The Everflush Spring is unlike common slip joints where the blade causes the spring to rise and drop as you rotate the blade from the open to closed position,” Ferry observed. “This innovation allows the opportunity for engraving of the backbar as well as eliminating the timing of the blade to the handle, as all the timing is internal.
“[By] splitting the backbar in half, thus creating a lower spring upon which the blade rides and an upper tang stop which stays flush with the handle, the backbar does not need heat treatment. This allows a wider range of material choices and embellishing options.”
Being intrinsic with the backbar, the lower spring diminishes the pressure exerted upon the pin, which traditionally would be used as the spring pivot. This allows the use of more exotic or fragile handle materials without fear of them cracking at the pin. In addition, the mechanism provides the potential for assembling a slip joint using threaded fasteners that allow for easy cleaning and pivot-tension adjustments.
“The major disadvantage is that this design will not easily fit or adapt to many traditional designs,” such as folding patterns with three or more blades, Ferry noted. “The internal spring takes up more room and thereby creates issues with designing a knife for it.” Conversely, it challenges makers to devise new designs, which is always good for the knife industry.
Tango Foxtrot Knives
Ferry responded to the changing market with the creation of Tango Foxtrot Knives LLC, which he characterizes as his “new venture into the realm of semi-production knives” of his design.
“The first knife from Tango Foxtrot is a tactical slip joint with the new mechanism, but I will also be introducing other models and types of knives in the future,” he said. “Tango Foxtrot Knives was conceived years ago but the timing never seemed to be right for me to proceed with the venture.
“As with any new design or product, you can never be sure how it will be received by the buying public. Mike and I unveiled the Everflush Spring at the 2011 BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) and it was very apparent the design was a success, with both of us selling out of those knives prior to the end of the show’s first day. With the confidence of having innovated a great product, I decided to launch Tango Foxtrot Knives. The company’s first release was the prototype version of the T-1 folder at the 2011 USN Show, and again the design went over well.
“I am currently in production of the T-1 slip joint with the Everflush Spring,” Ferry maintained, “as well as designing other models of fixed blades and folders to develop a line of semi-production knives of my design. The components for the knives will be made out of shop, but all final assembly and fit and finish will be done in my shop. Most will be everyday user knives, but there will also be the occasional dressed-up model featuring my hand engraving.”
Another Level
The knife business tends to reward those who contribute to it. Moreover, there is always a connection to the past, as every maker builds upon the innovations, techniques and styles of those who came before. It is a rare cutler who introduces something completely new. It is an even rarer one who can take an innovation and bring it to the next level. There is always another level and, through Ferry and Vagnino’s innovation, the cutlery industry may be getting a peek at the next one.
For more information on the Everflush mechanism, contact Tom Ferry at [email protected] or www.tomferryknives.com , or Mike Vagnino at [email protected] or www.mvknives.com.
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb031712#BL1SU.
Knifemaker: A New Role for Johnny Strong
As with all Johnny Strong knives, the Urban Assassins (top photo) are flat ground from CPM-S35V stainless and heat treated by Paul Bos Heat Treating. Overall lengths: 11.5 inches. (Katie Summers photo) Johnny Strong’s latest movie Sinners and Saints (second photo from top) debuted in January. (Photo: Mark Rutledge; Poster: Dave Burton) The author [left] and Strong [right] (third photo from top) at the author’s house.
Star of Sinners and Saints also makes knives
By Wally Hayes
Through knives I have met some of the most amazing people, one of whom is actor Johnny Strong. Last summer I received an e-mail from Johnny. He was interested in my Dragon Waki he had found on Bladeart.com’s website. We exchanged e-mails about his new waki, music and his interest in knifemaking. I learned Johnny is an actor, musician, martial artist and artist. He has been collecting knives since he was 8.
“It was when I was on tour with my band, Operator, that I got serious about collecting custom knives. I would be on the tour bus searching the web for knife dealers,” he said.
After talking with Johnny and learning a little about him, I suggested he visit my shop and hang out for a weekend. He did—and he jumped in with both feet.
We started out forging two blades to shape. Then I taught him grinding and heat treating. The crash course was three long, fun-filled days. As Johnny told BLADE®, “It was a great experience coming to Wally’s and having him share all his knowledge with me. I learned how to manipulate steel and apply these skills to my edged art.”
As soon as Johnny returned home, he ordered a belt grinder, drill press and some steel. In the past year he has created some very original designs. His computer-drawing skills enabled him to develop a practical and aggressive-looking knife style. As he noted, “With my knives, I like to paint in tactical colors.” His blades are flat ground from CPM-S35V stainless steel and heat treated by Paul Bos Heat Treating.
Johnny has created some unusual blade finishes with a combination of bead blasting and etching. The blades are ground with a wide secondary bevel that makes his knives razor sharp, similar to those by Shiva Ki. Johnny hand carved a mold to make his handles. He casts them one at a time. The handle material is an impact/chemical-resistant resin. The cutouts in the handle butts are multi-purpose prying/shaping tools. He also designed and ordered custom-made black titanium handle fasteners.
Three of Johnny’s models are the Urban Assassin, Canine Assassin and Combat Assassin (this issue’s cover knife; see page 7). Respective blade lengths are 6.5, 8.5 and 11 inches. The blade of the Canine Assassin has a tiger-stripe finish, while the Combat Assassin blade features a sawback. Each blade has what Johnny calls his three-edge design, which was inspired by the knife-combat training he has received. All his knives come with custom leather sheaths.
Sinners and Saints
Johnny has starred in Black Hawk Down, The Fast and The Furious, Get Carter, The Glimmerman and his new action movie, Sinners and Saints. Johnny plays the lead role of Sean Riley, a New Orleans detective.
To prepare for one of the movie’s knife fight scenes, Johnny trained with Ron Balicki for three months. Balicki is well known as a practitioner and teacher of the martial arts, and is a student and son-in-law of Dan Inosanto, a legendary martial arts instructor who studied under Bruce Lee. Balicki is also a top Hollywood stuntman and plays the role of Rucker in Sinners and Saints.
Johnny learned both one-handed and two-handed combative drills. In a knife-fighting scene in the movie, Johnny uses an Allen Elishewitz “Phalanx” folder and a Cold Steel Tai Pan dagger. Balicki plays Rucker, a bad guy Johnny’s character must kill. The knife-fighting scene took two days to shoot. Balicki uses a Cold Steel Voyager folder in the scene.
“Ron has a ton of experience and was great to work with,” Johnny noted. “We wanted to make the knife fighting scene as realistic as possible.” Johnny has a strong background in martial arts with a black belt in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu and is training hard to get in shape for his next movie.
Movies, Music and Knives
This past fall I flew down to Johnny’s to help with his knifemaking and have some fun playing music as well. Music is a big part of Johnny’s life. When not acting, he works on music either for film scenes or his own CDs.
His new album is The War of Art on iTunes. It features two of his Urban Assassin models silhouetted on the cover. I was asked to bring my guitar so I could play lead on a couple of songs in his studio. What a blast—mixing knifemaking with recording music. We worked on edge geometry, sheaths and a new folder design coming out in 2012. Stay tuned for more movies, music and knives from a very talented guy.
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb030312#BL1SU
Carbon Steel Can Still Cut It
Troney Toler of Knives Plus in Amarillo, Texas, says his biggest seller by far is the Case model 161 yellow-handle trapper with blades of Case’s “chrome vanadium carbon steel”—which, according to a Case official, is 1095 carbon steel with added chromium and vanadium. (photo courtesy of Troney Toler)
There is snow on the roof but fire in the furnace of the most popular factory carbon steel knives
By James Morgan Ayres
With all the new, exotic alloys populating the knife industry in recent years, what about the sales of factory knives with blades of the “old faithful” carbon steels? To find out, I spoke with a selection of cutlery retailers from Texas to Canada and asked if carbon steel blades are still selling in the face of competition from the new alloys, and, if so, which of the non-stainless knives are hottest in terms of sales.
North of the border, Pauline Favreau of the Canadian Knife Zone says she sells carloads of carbon-steel knives. In the springtime her customers load up on Cold Steel kukris and machetes to clear weeds, vines and saplings from around their summer cabins. Given the riotous early season growth in the north, this is a big job and a tough one. According to Favreau, her experienced customers rely on Cold Steel blades of 1055 carbon steel for their ability to take a keen edge and be easy to sharpen. She sells them for around a modest 30 Canadian dollars ($29.50 American) each and says customers prefer them to expensive alloy blades and their reputation for being hard to sharpen. Moreover, when the blades get the inevitable nick or two, it is easy enough to repair the edge with a stone.
Favreau says 45 percent of her clientele generally are female, some of whom are members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, military and other professions. She adds that KA-BAR’s Becker Knife & Tool line in 1095 carbon steel is far and away the most popular with the Mounties, who buy models from the Becker Necker at 56 Canadian dollars ($55) to the Campanion at 106 Canadian dollars ($104.20).
The owner of Canadian Knife Zone indicates many northern outdoor enthusiasts favor the traditional Grohmann hunter and the venerable D.H. Russell Canadian belt knife, at about 75 Canadian dollars ($73.73) each, both in C-70 carbon steel. The classic Opinel with its XC70 carbon steel blade and beechwood handle priced at 11 Canadian dollars ($10.80) is a perennial favorite of backpackers and others looking for a lightweight folder, Favreau adds.
Though the carbon-steel knives mentioned are affordable, she says price is a minor factor in the choices of Knife Zone’s customers. They are looking for proven performance and usually opt for non-coated blades.
Fans of 1095
Tom Melago of Chestnut Ridge Knives in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, says he sells many Ontario kukris and machetes in 1095 coated carbon steel, with the basic Model C 1-18 being the most popular machete. According to Melago, “Ontario’s Spec-Plus 2502 kukri is one of the most popular knives of any kind in my store. It’s favored 10-to-1 by my customers over other brands of kukri.” He adds this is due to the Ontario kukris’ reputation for quality and because they are made in America, which is a strong selling point. At his list prices of $29.99 for the machete and $53.99 for the kukri, these big boys appear to be a bargain.
Melago says though the choppers see considerable use as utility tools, most of his customers who buy big blades do so for survival packs and bug-out bags (BOBs). With Chestnut’s list prices in parentheses, Ontario’s RTAK II ($94.99) and RAT 7 ($87.99) in 1095 carbon steel also are finding their way into many Pennsylvania BOBs, as is ESEE’s entire line in 1095. From the Junglas ($155.99) to the ESEE 3 ($89.99) and ESEE 6 at ($116.99) to the tiny Izula ($49.95), Melago says all sell as fast as they can be ordered, and all have proven to be tough and easy to sharpen. (Again, all parenthetical list prices are Chestnut’s).
Like Favreau, Melago states price is not a factor in his customers’ choices. He says all of them express a willingness to pay more for models made in America, and most opt for non-coated blades.
Tougher Steel
At J.T. Knives in Port Jervis, New York, Joe Tarbell says the entire Ontario Spec Plus line of 1095 carbon steel knives continues to sell as well as always, which is very well indeed. Like his retail counterparts, Tarbell indicates even though the Spec Plus line is priced affordably from about $45 to $100, price has little to do with his customers’ knife-buying decisions. He says customers who request carbon-steel knives seem convinced carbon steel is tougher than any stainless. Some are older customers who have used carbon steel for years and are not interested in changing. Ease of sharpening and toughness are the deciding factors.
Tarbell says many of his customers are outdoorsmen and into survival skills. They prefer carbon steel for its traditional qualities and because “they get a better spark with a flint fire starter” on it. While they are concerned with rust, they also understand the simple steps they can take to avoid it (keeping the steel clean, a little oil, storing the knife in a dry place, etc.).
The J.T. headman states he has seen an increased demand for the Dustar Israeli combat knives, which use D2 tool steel. At a list price of $225, it is a relatively expensive factory knife, but he says buyers seem to appreciate the qualities of D2 and its solid construction. Tarbell adds his store also does well with anything from the Benchmade Bone Collector series, all in D2 blade steel as well.
Have Blades, Will Rust
The story on carbon-steel knives is very different at Troney Toler’s Knives Plus in Amarillo, Texas. Toler says he sells many traditional carbon-steel pocketknives and few fixed blades. His biggest seller by far is the Case model 161 yellow-handle trapper with blades of Case’s “chrome vanadium carbon steel”—which, according to a Case official, is 1095 carbon steel with added chromium and vanadium. According to Toler, he orders the knives 50 at a time and, at a list price of about $50 each, he often runs out of them.
In general, Knives Plus has two classes of customers. “The first,” Toler said, “is the grizzled old farmer or rancher who won’t have anything but a blade that ‘will rust.’” Such a customer has been using the knives for a half century and figures “if the blade won’t rust, the steel is no good.” Of course, the customer knows how to care for carbon steel, so maintenance is not an issue.
The other kind of customer will return a knife if a spot of rust shows up. “Those folks are better off with a Spyderco,” Toler notes. “Occasionally, I’ll see one of the old guys come in and buy a Spyderco, but that’s unusual.”
Boker, Queen and Eye Brand pocketknives in carbon steel are also good sellers for Toler, with such Queen models as the mini trapper with D2 blade steel a special favorite. He says D2 is “almost stainless” but not quite. About the only fixed blades Knives Plus does much business with is the ESEE 3-P in “well-tempered 1095.”
Even in today’s world of hi-tech alloys, the age-old carbon steel still earns its keep. Maybe it will continue to do so for another thousand years or so. Who’s to say it won’t?
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb020412#BL1SU
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