Non stainless kitchen knives

LiamLynch

Well-Known Member
I want to start selling knives but I can only sell kitchen knives without a license. I don't have the facilities to heat treat stainless steel but how important is it. I know that some knives are made to rust so they add flavour to the food or something but I wouldn't be happy making a knife claiming this without knowing about it. Basically, what do I need to know when making kitchen knives and what can I do with O1? Thanks guys.
 
Liam,
I don't know the market there in Scotland but only a few here in the USA compared to the many take care of their knives well enough to own carbon steel knives.

Yes you can use 01 with excellent results for culinary in all areas except the stainless part of the equation.

You may be on to your niche here with culinary. See what the local chef's at the restaurants and your home hobbie chef's are interested in?

I have made 95% culinary knives for over a decade now, All Stainless 440C ATS-34, CPM-S35VN & CPM-154 or semi stainless like D2.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
There are lots of places in the UK who can heat treat stainless for you so that needn't be a limitation.
Never heard of patina improving the flavour of food. Before a patina forms carbon steels can cause discolouration and a metallic taste, and sulphurous impurities in the steel can cause an unpleasant smell as well.
O1 makes good kitchen knives if people know to keep them dry, and don't mind letting a patina form.
Kitchen knives have a lot more subtlety to the geometry and profile than most other knives and being cheaper and easier to HT,O1 might be easier to practice with.
 
Laurence, I know a few chefs and they are the "I only use 'insert 420 SS knife' because they are the best" types. There are a few that know about caring for knives but they are hard to come by.

T_blondon, where can I get heat treatment done, I have come across mick wardell but I don't know, I got banned from British blades so it is hard for me to know what happens in the UK (I mentioned that swords are in fact weapons and people who like swords assume that you are slagging them off and banned me). The point being, I don't know where to get stainless here and I don't know where to ht it.
 
Liam,
I am sure you know how to use Google? I am sure there are heat treating services in Scotland or by mail to a industrial area in GB. Even if they don't specialize in heat treating knives they can do it for you. Get some 440C or CPM-154 stainless or equivalent steels that are available in the UK and depending on the kind of chef knife you want a RC hardness of 58-61 on the knives.

YES! A sword is a weapon!:shush:

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
I asked what Mick can get in stainless recently, I'll let you know what he says but guessing 14c28n and 12c27. Barmond are able to get rwl-34 which is the eu equivalent (more or less) of cpm154.
You may be able to find a local HT company that does stainless, probably batches in a vacuum furnace which would entail a minimum quantity and you clamping a few blades together to prevent warping, otherwise people like Shing, Chris Grant, mick wardell may be able to do specific knife ht.
Good luck with it,
Tom
 
I made some knives from 01 that I use in the kitchen. I gave one to a friend of mine who likes it because it holds an edge better than the normal kitchen knives.

With 01, you need to wash and dry it after use. It does tend to rust if not dries. That said, If I wash and dry it, rust is not an issue. It holds and edge well, I touch up the edge on a steel before use. I only use the stones once every couple of months if they need it.

I sand the blade to 800grit wet/dry. Sometimes I put a mustard patina on it, but usually just let the patina form naturally. The patina will help to prevent rust.

It may add a little different flavor to the food depending what it is. I really don't notice it when I eat the food, but sometimes can smell it when I am cutting up stuff. As the patina builds up, I don't notice the odor as much.

Have you made an 01 blade for yourself to use/test in the kitchen? It would give you chance to see how they perform.

Ric
 
As far as the flavoring of Carbon steels to food the Japanese prefer using Carbon steel to cut their fish because they like or are accustom to the reactive metallic sulphur taste that it puts on the fish.

That makes me want to gag personally! But each to his own. I will stick with Stainless Steels for my culinary knives.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
I guess I am not the only one that has heard that about the carbon and the fish. A close friend of mine is a well known japanese chef and will only use carbon on sushi.
 
Shirogami is prized for its purity and lack of sulphur. The use of Carbon steel is due the ability to take a finer edge due to the finer grain than most stainless steels. I have to call BS on what rhino said unfortunately.
 
I will probably start with 14C28N. I found 440C so once I get money I'll get some of that. I'll do a few in O1 for people who I know will look after them. I don't want to specialise in kitchen knives but it is another skill I can do I guess.
 
Shirogami is prized for its purity and lack of sulphur. The use of Carbon steel is due the ability to take a finer edge due to the finer grain than most stainless steels. I have to call BS on what rhino said unfortunately.

tb, or whatever your name is?
I can get just as fine of a edge on a quality stainless steel as with any Carbon steel and the edge will last longer.

Also most Japanese do prefer their raw fish prepared with carbon steel knives because they are accustomed to the way it taint's the fish with a metallic & sulfur taste.
Stainless steels do not have this reactive affect.

Also I am a big boy and can take a slightly rude remark as far as something I said being referred to as BS but I suggest that you approach any disagreements with other members in a more tactful or cricket manner because the owner and moderators will close threads if they see any kind of snarky or personal degrading remarks from one member to another.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
I will probably start with 14C28N. I found 440C so once I get money I'll get some of that. I'll do a few in O1 for people who I know will look after them. I don't want to specialise in kitchen knives but it is another skill I can do I guess.

Liam,
14C28N or 440C are both fine steels for culinary knives and I wouldn't feel doomed to making them! You can always makes some other tactic or other kinds of knives and the plus is that you can sell some of the culinary to pay for your habit!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
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