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A skilled craftsman demands and deserves the very
best material available to reflect the time and effort invested in
making objects of the highest quality.
Simon Dalby, master craftsman knife maker, is
always on the lookout for new materials that will endow his hand
crafted knives with outstanding properties to match their fine
appearance and, at the same time, minimise production
difficulties. Desirable properties in a knife obviously include: a
high hardness to maintain a good cutting edge, great toughness to
avoid breakage under hard usage and resistance to chipping.
Understandably, Simon was intrigued, when
approached by Carrs Toolsteel Technologies with a request to
produce a presentation knife to demonstrate the outstanding
properties of their new cold work steel, DC53 from Daido.
Simon commented, "I was surprise how well this
material machines, about 50% easier that D2 or A2 despite the fact
that it hardens to 64HRC. The real beauty of DC53 is that, at
64HRC, it grinds much easier than a traditional steel such as O1
but at the same time, provides around a 50% improvement in edge
and wear retention. I don't think this will be the last knife to
be made from DC53 by a long way!"
"DC53 is rapidly replacing traditional tool steels
such as D2, A2 and S1 says Carrs MD Bill Church. In some parts of
the world, it has taken over 70% of the market previously
occupied by D2. In the UK, numerous case studies have
demonstrated its ability to extend tool life by as much as ten
times." |
