[Rhodes22-list] New Toy

[Ronald Lipton]

Roger,

   Sounds like an interesting material.  Getting the ceramic precipitate
to nucleate along the grain boundries sounds like quite a trick.  It
would be interesting to see a SEM picture of the material.

Ron
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roger Pihlaja" <cen09402 at centurytel.net>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 6:41 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] New Toy


> Gentlemen,
>
> This is college, not the public high school.  Pocket knives are common on
> the SVSU campus.  But, I also wasn't stuupid about it & go around showing
> off the knife to everyone.  Dr. Schilling, my research project advisor &
> several other mechanical engineering students were with me in the SVSU
> Materials Lab.  The other students were already in the lab, testing other
> samples, when Dr. Schilling & I started doing our cutting tests.
Naturally,
> the knife generated a lot of interest.  Everyone was impressed with the
> performance.  When the tests were over, I folded the knife up & put in my
> backpack for the rest of the day.  No, I don't think the school
> administration knew about it; but, I don't think it would have been a
> problem either.
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "kroposki" <kroposki at innova.net>
> To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 7:14 AM
> Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] New Toy
>
>
> >
> >
> > Bob,
> >
> > Especially a sharp knife.  I wonder if he school authorities did
> > not miss this.  Small wonder Roger is still working on his degree.
> >
> > Roger,
> >
> > How come you did not first get a distributorship on these?  It
> > has been a long time since I had a really good pocket knife.  Makes me
> > think about one that works.
> >
> > Ed K
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> > [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Bob Keller
> > Sent: Monday, March 15, 2004 11:38 PM
> > To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
> > Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] New Toy
> >
> > Roger,
> > In Georgia you would have been expelled for taking a knife to school...
> > Bob K
> >
> >
> > >From: "Roger Pihlaja" <cen09402 at centurytel.net>
> > >Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > >To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > >Subject: [Rhodes22-list] New Toy
> > >Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 21:02:10 -0500
> > >
> > >Hi Everybody,
> > >
> > >Well, I'm ready for a new topic.  I just received a new toy today that
> > is
> > >totally cool.  The March, 2004, Volume 30, Number 5 & 6 double issue of
> >
> > >"Practical Sailor" magazine ran a comparison test on sailor's rigging
> > >knives.  They rated the Spyderco SALT 1 as a best buy.  The thing about
> >
> > >this knife that caught my eye was the description of the H1
> > precipitation
> > >hardened stainless steel in the blade.  In my ME250, Engineering
> > Materials,
> > >class last semester, we learned about precipitation hardening of
> > aluminum
> > >alloys.  Precipitation hardening is how the really strong, hard, yet
> > >ductile aircraft aluminum alloys like Al 7075-T6 are made.  I had never
> >
> > >heard of anything analogous in a stainless steel alloy and I was
> > curious.
> > >
> > >So, I went & looked up the properties of H1 stainless steel in the
> > >metallurgical literature at the SVSU library.  The H1 alloy is produced
> > by
> > >the Myodo Foundry in Japan and it appears to be a real materials
> > >breakthrough.  Normally, with knife blade materials, there is a
> > tradeoff
> > >between the hardness & ability to keep a sharp edge of high carbon tool
> >
> > >steels and the corrosion resistance and nonmagnetic properties of the
> > 300
> > >series stainless steels.  Up until now, it was impossible to have both
> > >corrosion resistance and a really sharp blade in the same alloy.  The
> > H1
> > >alloy works differently.  Precipitation hardening refers to the
> > formation
> > >of precipitates or particles of ceramic intermetallic ferric nitride
> > and
> > >chromium nitride compounds.  These intermetallic compounds are soluble
> > in
> > >the base alloy composition above a certain critical temperature,
> > allowing
> > >the metal to be hot-worked into the shape of the blade.  As the metal
> > is
> > >cooled according to a proprietary heat treatment schedule, the
> > >intermetallic compounds become insoluble, drop out of solution, &
> > nucleate
> > >into tiny particles.  For reasons I won't get into, these particles
> > tend to
> > >preferentially nucleate & grow along grain boundaries in the metal.
> > The
> > >presence of these particles distorts the face centered cubic (FCC)
> > crystal
> > >lattice structure of the base alloy & tends to lock adjacent metallic
> > >grains together.  Think of the particles as being sort of like the key
> > that
> > >fits into the keyway that locks a pulley onto a shaft.  Having the
> > grain
> > >boundaries of the metal locked together makes the metal much more
> > resistant
> > >to deformation and yielding.  (i.e. it is much harder)  But, it has not
> >
> > >been work hardened or tempered like heat treated high carbon steel
> > blades
> > >must be.  The H1 alloy has a low carbon content and the base alloy
> > grains
> > >have an overall austenitic microstructure. (i.e. nonmagnetic and
> > corrosion
> > >resistant like 300 series stainless steel)  The H1 alloy has a hardness
> > and
> > >yield strength comparable to a high carbon tool steel while maintaining
> > the
> > >overall corrosion resistance, ductility, ultimate elongation, and
> > >nonmagnetic properties of a 300 series stainless steel.  As I said, the
> > H1
> > >alloy appears to be a genuine materials breakthrough!
> > >
> > >Naturally, I had to have one!  I ordered the knife on-line from The
> > Knife
> > >Center:
> > >
> > >www.knifecenter.com
> > >
> > >SP88SBK Spyderco SALT H1 Stainless 3" Serrated Blade Black Zytel
> > Handle:
> > >$49.95 + S&H
> > >
> > >The Salt 1 is available with either a plain or a serrated edge blade.
> > I
> > >choose the serrated edge because it was recommended by Practical Sailor
> > for
> > >quick 1-pass cutting of tough lines.  Note: By the standards of high
> > end
> > >blades, $50 is not a particularly expensive knife.
> > >
> > >Anyway, my new toy arrived via UPS over the weekend & I took it to
> > school
> > >today.  In the materials lab, we did some cutting experiments on tough,
> >
> > >exotic materials like Kevlar, Spectra, and Carbon Fiber.  With the
> > factory
> > >supplied edge, my new Salt 1 is so sharp, it's almost scary!  It cut
> > thru
> > >several layers of stacked woven prepreg cloth like butter & these were
> > >materials that are a lot of work to cut a single layer with a good pair
> > of
> > >scissors.  Under the microscope at 100X magnification, there was no
> > >detectable wear on the edge before vs. after cutting these materials.
> > The
> > >hardness of the blade checks out at >75 on the Rockwell C scale!  The
> > edge
> > >is sharpenable on a good Arkansas stone with cutting oil, although with
> >
> > >quite a bit more effort than I am used to with even high carbon tool
> > steel
> > >blades.
> > >
> > >The Salt 1 rigging knife is a folding, locking design.  It has a belt
> > clip
> > >& is deployable with either hand.  Note that the H1 alloy is also
> > available
> > >in fixed blade versions with a sheath.  I'm strongly considering
> > getting a
> > >fillet knife and a hunting knife.  If you have anyone on your gift list
> >
> > >that uses & appreciates really good cutting tools, they will absolutely
> >
> > >love something like this!  It will instantly become their favorite
> > knife.
> > >
> > >Roger Pihlaja
> > >S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> > >__________________________________________________
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> >
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>
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