An insight into the high quality materials I use to make knives, jewellery & leathercrafts

Carbon steel generally refers to steel without anything added that prevents rust. But all ‘steel’ has carbon in it, otherwise it’s just ‘Iron’, its base element, which is very soft. Carbon is added in small amounts to create steel of vary grades. 0.4% creates mild steel, easy to work and good for structural work and homeware. 0.8-1.5% is a normal range for ‘high carbon’ steel blades, but as you go higher, the steel becomes brittle. 2-4% creates what we know as ‘cast iron’, (pans ect).

Generally speaking, carbon steel can be hardened to varying degrees, but as you go harder, you generally get more brittleness. it’s a balance between hardness and toughness, the ability to create a razor edge, and how strong that edge is.

Too much carbon in a blade designed for deboning, may result in chips and cracks as the steel is more likely to be brittle. Not enough carbon in a blade designed for clean cuts in fish, and you wont get the razor edge needed.

Too much carbon in a sword designed to crush metal armour, and it will break.

Rust, and misuse. “Carbon steel”, generally lacks an element that helps the steel resist rust, Chromium. Stainless steel is self healing, rebuilding its top layer to resist rust. But carbon steel, to achieve higher hardness and performance, doesn’t have this. From a forging point of view, stainless is also much harder to heat treat, and requires very precise processes which aren’t easy to achieve when you work by hand.

However, if you don’t store your blade wet, and look after it, then you are rewarded with a high performing blade that will even change its colour depending on how you use it. This ‘patina’ is unique and ever changing, giving the blade some protection in the process.

HRC refers to hardness of steel on the Rockwell scale.
Generally, the scale goes from 56-64 for most blades. The lower the number, the less ‘hardness’ but generally, the more toughness. These blades wont take such a fine edge, but they are much more durable. Higher numbers indicate a harder steel, but with this often comes more brittleness. However you can often achieve a much, much finer edge.

It’s important to factor in the hardness of a knife when the knife is either made for, or being used for a particular task. Boning knives want to be low, as they need to be really tough. Protein knives want to be high, as they are treated with great care and not put under stress. Everyday, workhorse knives want to sit in the middle, as they have to do a bit of everything.

Here are some of the most common steels I use in my blade work -

1095 - 0.9-1% carbon. A versatile steel that is really easy to work and heat treat. I generally harden this steel to around 62hrc. Which gives fantastic edge ability with a touch of durability.

52100 - A touch more carbon that 1095, and a bit of chromium too.

80crv2 - 0.8% carbon, produces slightly tougher, more wear resistant blades. Its my go to for small, flexible petty knives.

26c3 - 1.2% carbon. Very fine grain steel that produces a really fantastic edge. Not so tough though, and harder to work with.