More About Making Steel – Alloys
For budding knife makers, one part of knife crafting is forging steel blades. Early ironworkers created steel by heating iron and charcoal (a source of carbon) in clay boxes for several days. Historically, mixing the molten materials creates steel. Adding different elements changes the property of the finished steel. Here’s a quick list of what those elements add.
Common Alloy Elements and What They Do
Carbon (C) Hardness, edge retention and wear resistance
Chromium (Cr) Hardness, toughness and corrosion resistance
Cobalt (Co) Hardness
Copper (Cu) Corrosion resistance
Manganese (Mn) Hardness and wear resistance
Molybdenum (Mo) Hardness, toughness and corrosion resistance
Nickel (Ni) Hardness and toughness
Niobium (Nb) Toughness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance
Phosphorus (P) Hardness and corrosion resistance
Silicon (Si) Hardness and strength
Vanadium (V) Toughness and wear resistance
Tungsten (W) Toughness and wear resistance
From an article by Carolyn Koh
For more information on knife steel and other aspects of knife making, check out our Knives 101 series online and in our Knives Illustrated magazine!