Cutting ceramic blankets: best knife steel or is it a lost cause?

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Bishop2Queen's6

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Jun 8, 2011
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I am cutting ceramic insulating blankets for a forge I'm building at work. The ceramic is very similar in texture and style like the fiberglass insulation in your house. I've been using my Spyderco Military in S30v, and my Zt550 in S35V. The Military lasts about 4 feet of blanket before it gets painfully dull, and the ZT550 lasts a bit longer, 5 feet of blanket before it gets dull.

I know ceramic is very tough stuff:

Would S110V perform any better?

Is there a way to better cut this stuff so don't end up having to sharpen my knifes twice a day? Maybe just use my dulled knife the entire time and just sharpen it when I'm done?
 
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Well...since you can sharpen knives using ceramics, I suppose you can quickly dull knives using ceramics too. :eek:
 
Have you considered using either a serrated blade or possibly a Japanese pull saw? I'm thinking you might go through more real estate that way. In fact, if you use an inexpensive example of either you won't be wasting anything and you can just dull it flat and throw it out after you're completely done.
 
marcinek said:
Well...since you can sharpen knives using ceramics, I suppose you can quickly dull knives using ceramics too. :eek:
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This is kinda what I was thinking, I am actually surprised they cut that far.....

How precise are the cuts you are making?
Why not use something like a dremmel or a zip rotar to make the cuts?

I am not very familiar with this type of fabric, but I don't think a zip rotar would create 'pulls' or anything, maybe heat?

A small 12V with a hardened steel wheel should work well...
 
Bishop2Queen's6 said:
The ceramic is very similar in texture and style like the fiberglass insulation in your house.
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OK. So my suggestions just turned very useless...

The suggestion above to use disposables blades is a good one.
Lenox makes great utility disposables with a Ti coated edge that really last far beyond anything else I have ever used.

Also, if you go this route, check out the Gerber EAB as a great little folder for disposable utility blades...
 
Bishop2Queen's6 said:
Up. SOunds like I need to go disposable. Thanks guys!
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Glad this helped.

Check out those two things I mentioned above (the EAB and Lenox Ti coated blades) that combo has always worked great for me in my job which is a horrid environment for knife blades...not as bad as yours though!!

The EAB just gives you that 'knife' feel even though you are using utility blades....

Good luck.
 
Will scissors do it? The shearing action works on some materials well past when the edge gets dull. You can buy big scissors at Harbor Freight for $1 or $2 each.

But to answer your earlier question, yes I would expect S110V to last longer (or something like M4). But the increased cost and difficulty in sharpening would still make you go to disposables.
 
Some of those disposible blades are available in carbide . By Ti coated I assume you mean TiN. I wonder if shears made for Kevlar would work well.
 
mete said:
Some of those disposible blades are available in carbide . By Ti coated I assume you mean TiN. I wonder if shears made for Kevlar would work well.
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Good idea. Would a Ti knife with a carbidized edge work?
 
I've cut a lot of 1/2 - 3/4" fiberglass filter type material at work over the years and never found a knife steel that didn't quickly dull. Resorted to large scissors, as bdmicarta suggested. They cut much longer than the knives, but still need to be sharpened regularly.
 
Just asked a buddy of mine that works with the stuff, believe it or not he said he uses hedge shears. "The big ass scissors for landscaping" as he put it.
 
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