About this episode
This episode I welcome Cole Barrett of Blue Mountains Tools to the show to talk about steel. As a very experienced knife maker with a mind cram packed with knowledge, he has done extensive research into different steels and how to get the optimum performance out of them. He happily shares some of that wealth with us. In Cole's transition from an artist/ painting teacher to knife maker, he has definitely managed to bring some of those skills over into his processes, giving him an artistic and scientific approach to his knife making. Cole introduces himself and explains how and why he chose his company name, Blue Mountains Tools. Discusses that he works at Gameco artisan Supplies and what he does there. Talks about what sort of knives he makes. We talk about Knife Camp and his probationary membership to the Aussie knife makers guild. The differences between knife camp and the blade symposium. Cole speaks about how many knives per year he was making and speaks about the reasons he no longer does. How his art background helped him get good at knife making faster. What are the different grades of steel and what makes some suitable for knife making and others not. The percentages of carbon and how that affects the steel for knife making. Cole's 3 categories of steel including mild. Steel choices that are easy to use and easy to heat treat. How freshwater tropical fish relate to knife Steel. How and why people choose specific steels. People's experiences in using different steels in such things as hand sanding. Cole tells us how he finishes his knives off the belts and doesn't hand sand his knives, and how he gets an even finish off the belt. Why he doesn't generally polish his knives. What a plunge platen attachment is and what he uses it for. The benefits of a disc sander. Do knife customers know enough about steels to choose a knife of a certain Steel i.e. EDC and kitchen knives. The reason he personally chooses a steel that requires a more difficult heat-treatment process. Steel optimal HRC Rockwell. Using steels developed for other applications than knife making and developing heat treat recipes for them. Why big companies have started producing material specifically for makers on the side. How and why the industry is becoming self-perpetuating, creating better and better knifemakers and how that's partly because of the steel companies. Forging, normalizing and grain refining when and where it might be needed. Thermocycling and multi-step heat treat process to allow quench from a lower temperature. Blade quenching and cryo even on carbon steels. The correct steels for beginners, intermediate and experienced makers. Leaf springs, saw blades, known steels and heat treat recipes. Is nonmagnetic hot enough. Water quenching. Increase in performance with a thermometer and a stopwatch. Should you be sending your blades out to be heat-treated, experienced or not, if professionals like Bob Loveless do. When does a handmade knife stop being handmade when more technology and tooling goes into knives. What's decarb and how to protect against it. Do we need to protect against it? Using Anti-scale compound, foil and boric acid for decarb prevention. The reason that Cole has had knife warps in the past and why it doesn't really happen anymore. Perfect is the enemy of good. Not all knives should be finished. He answers what he would choose if he could only have one knife (one steel) to use for everything forever and why. Steel mentions 1084, 1075, 5160, 12c27, 1095, cpm s35vn, 80crv2, 52100, vanadus 4 extra, o1, w2, Cpm 3v, cpmm4, cpm 110v, cpm 125v, aebl, nitro v, 14c28n, Ats34, 154 cm, cpm 154, rwl34, 15n20, sup9, 5160, A2, s30v, s35vn, Mentions. Bruce Barnett Kev Slattery Jezz Heywood Big Chris Berry Jackson Rumble Ian Stewart Bob Loveless Aaron Gough Rob Herbert Nick wheeler Alec Steele Will Stelter Walter Sorrells Company mentions: Gameco Artisan Supplies Creative Man Mitchmade Westinghouse Crucible Industry's YouTube channels Click spring Alec Steele Walter Sorrells Guest links https://www.instagram.com/cole_barrett_bmt/