ARE DIAMONDBLADE KNIVES HARD TO SHARPEN?
Even though the Friction Forged zone has a HRC of 65-69 they have been proven to be no more difficult to sharpen than other premium knife steels. In fact, because they are so hard and resist edge deformation better than other steels, the edge returns back to shaving sharp with a minimum of sharpening because there is not as much material to grind away to re-shape the edge.
HOW CAN I SHARPEN MY DIAMONDBLADE KNIFE?
As with sharpening any knife, the first and most important point is to hold the angle correctly throughout the entire process. Sharpening can be accomplished with any medium to fine grit India stone or diamond coated sharpening system. For a final edge, many users prefer to use a ceramic rod.
ARE THEY GUARANTEED AND FOR HOW LONG?
DiamondBlade knives carry a lifetime guarante for any manufacturing defect.
WHAT DOES THE ROCKWELL HARDNESS (HRC) SCALE MEASURE?
The Rockwell Hardness Scale (HRC) measures the hardness of steel. Most knives have an HRC of 58-60.
YOU LABEL THE MAIN BODY OF THE KNIFE AS “SPRING STEEL”. WHY AND WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF A DIFFERENTIALLY HEAT TREATED BLADE?
Spring steel has a hardness of between HRC 31-52. When the knife blade spine and main body is “spring steel” hard, like a spring, it is almost impossible to break. All DiamondBlade knife blades are first hardened to a HRC of 38-42 and thus are exceptionally tough and almost impossible to break—a huge advantage when working in tough hunting or tactical field conditions. They are then Friction ForgedTM in the edge zone where the forged material is rapidly quenched and the HRC values raised to between 65—69 thus producing a high performance blade that is both exceedingly tough and exceptionally sharp.
ISN’T THE HARD FORGED EDGE BRITTLE? IF NOT, WHY NOT?
No, the edge is not brittle. The super fine grain structures have small grain boundaries thus allowing tremendous flexibility. See article “Friction Forged DiamondBlade” by Chuck Karwan, in 2008 issue of Tactical Knives, where Wayne Goddard, Master Bladesmith, chopped through 2x4 boards multiple times and then bent the DiamondBlade forged knife to 120 degrees with no chipping, cracking, or edge deformation whatsoever.
WHY DID YOU USE D2 STEEL FOR THE BASE METAL? WERE OTHER STEELS TESTED?
Several different steels were forged and tested but D2 gave the best and most consistent performance. It has the perfect chemistry for producing our high performance blades.
WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF A FINER STEEL GRAIN STRUCTURE?
Simply put, the finer the grain structure, the better the blade steel. Finer grain steels have less tendency to chip or crack and have greater fatigue resistance. Both the blade hardness and toughness to be elevated, and thus Improving performance.
WHAT STEELS HAVE FINER GRAIN STRUCTURES?
Common knife steels such as D2 and 440C will have steel grain structure sizes between 5 to 15 microns. Particle Metallurgy steels such as CPMS30V and CPMS90V have grain structures between 2 and 5 microns. All can be observed and measured with a 1000x microscope.
WHAT SIZE GRAIN STRUCTURES DOES DIAMONDBLADE’S FRICTION FORGEDTM ZONE HAVE?
The extreme forging pressure combined with the dynamic shearing action produced by the rotating tool reduced the grain structures so small they could no longer be observed with a 1000x microscope. The Transmission Electron Microscope (80,000x) at Brigham Young University was required to observe and measured the grain structures. The grain size was reduced to .5 microns or 200—500 nanometers, which is a 10x reduction compared to CPM S30 and S90V steel grain sizes.
PERFORMANCE WISE, HOW DO DIAMONDBLADE’S FRICTION FORGEDTM BLADES COMPARE TO OTHER STEELS?
Manila rope cutting tests by Wayne Goddard, Master Blade Smith and also over 750 “hands off” statistical tests under the direction of Brigham Young University Mechanical Engineering Dept. indicate that the Friction Forged blades outperformed all other 12 test blade materials in every category; sharpness, edge longevity, and toughness. In addition the forged zone becomes stainless. Visit our website, www.diamondbladeknives.com, for an in-depth explanation of testing methods and results.
YOU SAY THE FORGED ZONE IS STAINLESS. HOW CAN THIS BE USING D2, WHICH IS NOT CLASSIFIED AS A STAINLESS STEEL?
D2 Tool Steel is an air hardenable, high Chromium cold-work Tool Steel with the following chemical analysis: Carbon 1.4—1.6%; Chromium 11.0—13.0%; Manganese 0.6% (max.); Silicon 0.6% (max.); Nickel 0.3% (max.); Molybdenum 0.7—1.2%; Vanadium 1.1%. THE HIGH CHROMIUM CONTENT MAKES D2 stain resistant but not stainless. However, in D2 some of the Chromium is tied up with the Carbides. When the Friction Forging process heats the steel to transformation temperature, the elements go back into solution as the steel is plasticized and forged. Because the blade steel is then rapidly quenched, some of the Chromium is frozen out from the Carbides and is tied up with the ferrite, thereby creating a stainless forged zone.
CARE OF YOUR DIAMONDBLADE KNIFE EDGE
All DiamondBlade knives are coated with a rust inhibitor to fight rust and discoloration. However, if you leave the blade covered in blood and in the sheath for an extended period of time some discoloration could occur. Most importantly, if the blade is not well cleaned, the micro-serrations that are present in the cutting edge will be coated with dried blood, lipids, and other debris and the knife will not cut effectively.
While the body of the knife and handle can be cleaned effectively with soap and water, once the blood, lipids, and other debris coats the cutting edge, you will not be able to dissolve and remove the hardened debris that fills the cutting edge’s microscopic serrations. You must use some type of petroleum based solvent to dissolve and remove this material. Products such as WD-40, Hoppes #9, etc. are all excellent choices for cleaning the cutting edge. Then clean with soap and water to remove the solvent.
HOW TO SHARPEN
Because the DiamondBlade edge zone is very hard (HRC 65-71), it is going to resist deformation and stay sharp longer than will blades with softer edges. When the edge does finally begin to lose its shaving sharpness, we recommend that first you clean the knife and edge as described above and test the edge. If needed, follow this with a few light strokes on a medium grit ceramic rod and normally the edge will be restored back to shaving sharp. In the event the blade has been dulled to the point that the ceramic rod will not bring the edge back to where you desire it, a more aggressive medium such as a diamond coated rod or device may be necessary. Always duplicate the factory edge angle which is 18 degrees when sharpening. NOTE: If you prefer, our craftsmen will be happy to completely re-condition your knife and re-sharpen it to factory standards. Simply ship to us at DiamondBlade Knives; 3100 Airport Dr., Denison, TX. 75020 and for $15.00 plus shipping your knife will be inspected, repaired if needed, re-conditioned, sharpened, and returned to you in pristine shape.
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