Talonite?

T

Tag_McLaren

Joined
Jan 24, 2001
Messages
60
Just a quick question on a late night... Talonite is supposed to be superior to your run of the mill blade steel (open to arguement of course), however I've heard that it's actually much softer than say AST-34.... what's the deal?

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Fear is the mind killer
 
TAG, Greetings!
Climber here; TALONITE has a high Chromium content within a Cobalt matrix; Chromium carbides (i call 'em Chromides, but i think others would laugh if U use that term...) are VERY HARD, sometimes in the region of 91 Rockwell; but that's deceiving, because ANY blade with Chromium has that. The Cobalt matrix in which the other elements reside, including the Chromium, is around Rockwell 46-47. SO... Talonite is good for all-around cutting, will cut even when "dull" feeling, b'cuz of the Chromium, BUT will not be as hard nor tough as some other knife materials because of the relatively softer Cobalt; it will, however, sharpen quite nicely, NEVER rust, so they say,(having not been around it forever, i wouldn't know with certainty...) & holds a decent edge in the meantime.
For more than this simple explanation, a guy named Poff has assembled a page on Talonite with more Bladeforum links (& others) than you could shake a Talon-stick at...! the address is: http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff/talonite.html
& i just checked it: it's still up, just like me at this late hour! Gotta go; happy hunting: it'll take months to work through all those links: at least it did me when i researched it...
Knife-bro Clif



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Clif :)
"Percival... I never knew how empty was my soul until it was filled."
Arthur the King upon sipping from the Grail.
 
I have both the Talon and its little brother the Mini-Talon and they both cut like a "house-a-fire". Like the other comment that said even when it feels dull. You can believe that 100% these knives just keep on cutting and if you think they are dull then a couple of licks on a loaded strop or ceramic brings them to "feeling" sharp again.

howz that for $.02 worth!
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Ron,
Bremerton, Washington
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One minor correction to Climber's post; according to Crucible's literature, chromium carbides typically exhibit an HRC value between 66 and 68. The hardest carbides currently used in blade steels that I'm aware of, are vanadium carbides at an HRC of between 82 and 84.

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Semper Fi

-Bill
 
As you say, Talonite (r) is softer than most common cutlery steels. However, Talonite is a hard facing alloy, which means that the metal revealed with wear is just as hard as the metal which comprised the edge to begin with. This makes a tremendous difference in wear resistance.

Remember that this alloy was developed for the turbo fan blades in jet engines, and is widely used to tip oil well drill bits; the stress experienced by a oil well drill bit a few miles below the surface of the earth drilling through rock is something few, if any, steel alloys could withstand.

In the real world of knife applications, the first chefs' knife made of Talonite went to Nick Blinoff. After a year's daily use, Nick told me he had to sharpen the blade three or four times. My daughters love their Talonite paring knives made by Kit Carson, and my eldest loves her Talonite chefs' knife (the second one ever made) by Rob Simonich.

Talonite makes a wonderful knife, and wear resistance is not a problem. Walt
 
I have sharpened my personal tnt about 4 or 5 times in the last year....just a whack on the hard felt wheel gets it sharp in about 30 seconds......the stuff is GREAT!

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http://www.mayoknives.com
John 1:14
Love is Stronger than Death!
 
Talonite and Stellite are just great performers. I first experienced their properties with a Neil Blackwood blade of the latter. Later with one of Rob's blades, then Tom's. The properties to me are similar to David Boyes Dendritic cast 440 in that they just seem to cut beyond the point where your own personal "sharp test" determines that this edge doesn't FEEL like it should be cutting as good as it still is.
 
Bronco -- am sure your corrections are right on. However, I'm sure I read the same article that Climber misremembered. I'm sure that in some steel story I've read in either Blade or TK in the last 6 months -- not just those issues -- that it was firmly stated that vanadium carbides Rockwell at 91. I keep going thru those mags off and on. I'll try to remember to notify you when I find it -- well, guess maybe should notify the author instead.
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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
Somebody dig up the URL to that hellacious thread we had on Talonite last year. All the information is there...I mean all the information....
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Hooooo, yea, that was the mother of all threads.

It would be good to continue it on, or start it over though, because I found out that you can make a Talonite blade with an edge that is durable and that will still cut very efficiently. That edge came on my Talonite Talon. Too bad I didn't acheive enlightenment before you reached the top of the mountain and ascended into the god-like state of the knifemaker no longer taking orders. I coulda' had a custom.
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Hey, if you no longer need to take orders, does that mean you no longer have any worldly needs, like food and air, that sort of thing either? Do you just play a harp and make miracles now?
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you are quite welcome, sir
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i enjoyed re-reading some of it this morning. great information!

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russ aka BladeZealot{former screen name: russ, dec.'99}
a cat almost always blinks when hit in the head with a ball-peen hammer.

the only thing better than a good knife, is a good woman.
 
Believe me Steve, I still need air and such! No harps in my shop, just a lot of junk and dust!
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The only miricles that happen around here are going more than 20 minutes without the phone ringing! When i start taking orders again Ill be sure to let you know.

Glad you are liking the Talon! Correct geometry is important on any material, but more so with Talonite, as has been thouroughly discussed!
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Good Lord! I didn't realize that the Talonite question had been settled.... Finally! Almost as many post's on that one as there was for the Busse contest.

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Fear is the mind killer
 
I wouldn't call it settled, that thread was closed do to lack of oxygen because the posts were stacked so high.
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