SPECIFICATIONS:

Knife - GIFT ІІІ exclusive hand-made knife of studio master SERGIY DROZDA, buy order in Ukraine (Steel - K390™ in covers n695, 63 HRC)
Type of knife: Fixed blade
Brand: Studio of exclusive handmade knives SERGIY DROZDA

A sharpened knife is not a cold weapon.

Our knives are very sharp, so be very careful when opening and handling them. We are not responsible for any injuries related to the use of our knives.
Our products are intended for legal use only by responsible buyers. We will not sell our products to anyone under the age of 18.

Availability changes regularly, after confirming your order we will notify you of availability or when the item is ready. The product may differ slightly from the one shown in the photo.

Steel K390 for knives: advantages and disadvantages of the alloy

K390 steel from the Austrian company Bohler is considered one of the best for making knives and other cutting tools. This is a tool powder steel designed for the production of stamping tools by the method of cold deformation. It is mainly used for the manufacture of folding and hunting knives.

For the production of kitchen knives, as a rule, it is not used due to the high cost. Knives of the highest price category are made from this metal. But, like other types of steel alloys, the material has its advantages and disadvantages.

Features of K390 alloy
K390 steel is characterized by increased hardness, strength and wear resistance. It is a high-speed steel with high viscosity and resistance to mechanical wear. The special chemical composition ensures the high hardness of the material, thanks to which the cutting edge of the blade retains its sharpness for the longest time, even during hard use.

At the moment, the brand is considered one of the best tool steels for cutting tools on the market. In the production process, a homogeneous carbide structure is formed, which guarantees maximum hardness and wear resistance.

It has the following chemical composition:

Carbon (C) – 2.5%. Provides hardness, wear resistance and viscosity. Due to the high carbon content, the edge remains sharp for a long time.
Chromium (Cr) - 4%. Increases density and tensile strength. Provides protection against corrosion, but in this case it is insignificant, since the chromium content is not high. Slightly increases hardness.
Molybdenum (Mo) - 4%. Increases strength, hardness and firing. Promotes corrosion protection.
Silicon (Si) - 0.55%. Deoxidizes steel and increases strength.
Vanadium (V) – 9%. Improves viscosity and strength. Increases resistance to abrasion and rust formation.
Tungsten (W) – 1%. Increases viscosity, strength and firing. Hardness does not change under the influence of elevated temperatures.
Cobalt (Co) – 2%. Increases hardness and strength. Allows hardening at elevated temperatures. Strengthens the positive properties of other elements.
The HRC indicator (hardness value on the Rockwell scale) of this metal varies in the range of 62-66 units. This is one of the best indicators on the cutting tool steel market. Thanks to this hardness, the cutting edge retains its hardness for as long as possible. At the same time, it is quite difficult to sharpen such a hard alloy with household tools.

The material is relatively expensive, so premium segment knives are produced from it. At the moment, steel provides the maximum possible resistance of the cutting edge to abrasive wear. At the same time, high chip resistance and good impact strength are maintained.

Advantages of K390 steel
The main advantages of the Bohler K390 alloy include:

• Increased resistance of the cutting edge to abrasive and other mechanical wear. The closest analogue in terms of this characteristic is the CPM 10V brand, which was previously considered a standard, but lost to K390 in other parameters.
• Increased impact strength due to the presence of a sufficient amount of molybdenum, tungsten and cobalt. According to this characteristic, the metal is 1.5 times higher than CPM 10V.
• Good flexibility for grinding and polishing. This allows you to remove deep risks and other stress concentrators from the surface. The blade and cutting edge can be given an almost mirror-like shine.
• Increased compressive strength. This allows you to make all kinds of stamps, dies, tape knives and other parts.
• Resistance to chip formation. This ensures reliability and a long service life of finished products.
• Homogeneity of the structure. Due to this, the characteristics are stable over the entire area of ​​the blade.
• High hardness - 62-66 HRC. Even with intensive and hard use, the sword remains sharp for a long time.
• Resistance to overheating during heat treatment. Steel withstands long-term heat treatment without deterioration of properties, which guarantees high-quality hardening and calcination.
• Possibility of making blades by forging method. This allows craftsmen to make unique collector's items.
• The possibility of additional improvement of working characteristics in the process of manufacturing finished products. For example, some manufacturers perform additional heat treatment using repeated thermal cycling and cryogenic treatment.

Large knife with K390 steel

Disadvantages of the alloy
Despite the huge number of positive characteristics, the material has some disadvantages:

High cost. Knives of the highest price category are made from this steel. It is used by large manufacturers. Although some private craftsmen produce products from this alloy in small batches. For the production of kitchen knives, as a rule, enyaets is not used.
Low resistance to corrosion. The composition contains quite a lot of carbon and little chromium, so the material can rust. This is a kind of payment for maximum hardness. Therefore, the knife requires proper and regular maintenance.
It is quite difficult to sharpen the edge yourself. The steel is very hard, so it is difficult to sharpen. To do this, you need to use special sharpening tools, such as diamond and elbor blocks. The complexity of sharpening is one of the secondary factors of the high cost of finished products.
Risk of injury. When sharpened with a knife, it is very easy to cut yourself, so you should work with it carefully.
Small selection of models. Only a few large manufacturers and private craftsmen make knives from this alloy. At the moment, the company offers the largest number of models

Conclusions and recommendations
Steel K390 is deservedly considered one of the best tool alloys on the market for the production of cutting tools. However, products made of this material cannot be called a good choice for every person. Knives with K390 blades are quite expensive, and the selection of models is small.

Large companies produce products in small batches, and individual craftsmen often produce only to order. Therefore, such products can be recommended to professionals who are familiar with steels and the peculiarities of their operation. Such a blade must be properly cared for, otherwise it can become covered with rust and pitting, which often affects not only the appearance, but also the performance characteristics.
The K390 knife should be used carefully, as a damaged edge will be expensive to restore due to the difficulty of resharpening. Otherwise, K390 is an excellent powder steel for making premium quality knives.

Well,  you can buy a Damascus steel knife on the  portal  https://knife.net.ua/  on our website or by contacting us by phone +380961711010.

Happy shopping! We will be glad to see you among our customers!

MAMMOTH TEETH HANDLE MATERIAL Mammoth tooth.

A mammoth tooth is a product of animal origin. Its exceptional feature is the fact that its source is extinct animals - mammoths. Paleontologists found that they lived on Earth about 10 thousand years ago, and their number was very large. The teeth of mammoths were not permanent and changed about four times during their lifetime. Fallen teeth, which modern scientists find during excavations, and become the basis for decorative elements, among which there are knife handles.

Due to a long stay in the soil, the material acquired a very unstable structure - the enamel became rock-hard, and the dentin, on the contrary, became loose. But modern material stabilization technologies have helped turn mammoth teeth into an excellent basis for creating luxurious knife handles. The polymer composite provides products with resistance to corrosion and moisture, and the natural base gives a unique texture and intricate pattern.

It is worth remembering that when using the knife for its intended purpose and with careful handling, the knife will serve you for a very, very long time

Ironwood - iron wood - handmade knives

Ironwood - Iron tree

In nature, ironwood is extremely rare, therefore it occupies an honorable place in the Red Book. However, in terms of its properties, each iron tree is not inferior to the density of cast iron. Its bark can withstand gunfire, but it sinks hopelessly in water. It is worth noting that this is not a separate class of trees, but a whole group assembled from different species. It includes several dozen species of plants with unusually dense wood. They can be found on every continent. Moreover, raw materials are used both in the industrial industry and in medical practice.

What is special about these trees?

With the naked eye, it is quite difficult to recognize the "stone" breed of a perennial plant. Especially if they are on the verge of extinction. However, they are characterized by the following features:

• the age of such long-lived people is not less than 2 hundred years;
• wood fiber is resistant to corrosion processes and does not deteriorate under the influence of strong acids;
• the bark contains many tannins that protect their "hosts" from all kinds of parasites, as well as from the rot fungus;
• the log will definitely go under water, since the density of wood is 1 t / m³, taking into account the humidity of 12%, for this reason, such breeds grow quite slowly;
• the height of each exceeds 25 meters, and the girth of the trunk reaches more than 200 cm.

All these properties are necessary for an iron tree to survive in the harshest climatic conditions. Sharp temperature changes in Russia, African drought or humid European climate will not be able to harm this natural phenomenon. Such varieties of trees perfectly adapt to any adverse environment. For this, they are equipped with a considerable number of devices, starting from the unique structure of the trunk / roots and ending with the chemical composition of the bark. In this regard, they are widely used in production:

• furniture;
• building structures;
• cars;
• cosmetics;
• decorative elements;
• underwater equipment.

Mammoth Tusk: A gem mined in permafrost

Most of our contemporaries are mammoths - "monsters, fierce, fierce, huge..." A large, disproportionately built elephant. A ferocious beast, densely overgrown with dense shiny or long brown and patchy wool. A four-legged hero with heavy tusks, who fearlessly chases polar bears. Or runs confusedly from a handful of crazy bipeds... This is what a mammoth is like in a performance by artists from science.
Are mammoths extinct?

It is believed that mammoths lived as long ago as dinosaurs. However, scientists have reliably established that the last herds of mammoths lived on Wrangel Island about three and a half millennia ago. The Pyramid of Cheops was already more than a thousand years old at that time. Moses was preparing his tribesmen for a forty-year dessert trip. The Mediterranean volcano Santorini, having exploded, buried the Mycenaean civilization for a hundred years.

These are herds; certain families of mammoths, according to the assurances of lovers of polar hunting solitude, exist safely to this day. Whether it is so or not is not known for sure. However, there is no doubt that in the past, mammoths lived everywhere in Europe, Asia, and America.

Permafrost is the best refrigerator for mammoth bone

Cemeteries of mammoth bones are found everywhere: in France, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine. But only where the earth has been in a state of permafrost for thousands of years, the mammoth tusk is preserved in its original (or almost original) form. One of the largest burial grounds in the world is Yakutia, in which a large amount of this highly valuable material is still mined annually. According to the estimates of experts in the North Yakutia province, the potential resources may amount to about 450,000 tons.

Humans at all times highly valued the fossil mammoth tusk. Dense, strong, massive, often white, usually yellowish, often colored with mineral salts in natural colors, mammoth bone has been used as a raw material for bone carving for many centuries.

Material that is well appreciated by kings and rulers all over the world!

Tsar Oleksii Mykhailovych, father of Peter the Great, established a state monopoly on mammoth bone back in the middle of the seventeenth century. On his initiative, the extraction and supply of mammoth tusks to bone-cutting workshops in Kholmogory and Moscow (Armory Chamber) became permanent.

Peter the First, fond of handicrafts, carved a snuff box from mammoth bone with his own hands. Foreign craftsmen also liked the material: among the goods traditionally delivered from Russia to the West, there was always a place for the bone of an extinct animal.

The only one allowed

Today, mammoth tusk is the only high-value bone material allowed for extraction and use. Elephant tusk, the well-known ivory, has been classified as prohibited materials. Similar decisions were made regarding the tooth of the sperm whale (in connection with the complete refusal to hunt whales) and the walrus tusk (which is mined by the northern peoples in small quantities).

Elk antler and femur (tubular femur of large animals) are not able to give the visual effect produced by mammoth bone products. The inner glow of figurines, warm shades of a living body, unparalleled plasticity of the smallest details - these are just some of the advantages inherent in mammoth tusk.

Universality, nobility, uniqueness

The physical qualities of the massif of mammoth tusk are unique. Modern technologies are only trying to create substances that are close to natural mammoth bone in terms of properties. Allowing the finest processing of details, giving the opportunity to create the illusion of soft draperies of clothes that naturally fall, the mammoth tusk has deservedly become the most sought-after material for bone carving.

Mammoth tusk of uniform structure is in particular demand. The uniformity of the color of the bone array, the absence of cracks and other defects allows the artist to create regardless of the quality of the material. However, the integrity of the massif of mammoth bone is now rare, and the defects of the material force the artist to be more inventive in the composition, which, as a result, turns into an additional dignity in the sculpture.

High-quality and original steel linings are an excellent decoration for exclusive and unique knives of the Studio of exclusive handmade knives by SERGEY DROZDA  (Ukraine), which offers to order and buy online store https://knife.net.ua