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    FAQ: "What is stainless steel?"(Post)

    Question: "What is stainless steel?" Steel that contains at least 11.5% free chromium content is considered stainless steel. Chromium is an alloying element specifically added to steel increase ...

    FAQ: "What is tool steel?"(Post)

    Question: "What is tool steel?" Tool steel is a term that refers to high carbon alloys that are optimal for use in tools, particularly where a high edge retention, resistance to abrasion and de ...

    FAQ: "What is the best blade steel?"(Post)

    Question: "What is the best blade steel?" With so many aspects of a steel's performance dependent on subjective and personal preferences, this question is going to be difficult to answer fully.

    FAQ: How Do I Maintain My Carbon Steel Knives?(Post)

    With the popularity of traditional and custom knives (like  Great Eastern Cutlery, Northwoods Knives, Bark River Knives, Fiddleback Forge, etc), we are asked all the time, ...

    FAQ: What is Damascus steel?(Post)

    We could write an entire book on Damascus steel and still not be fair to the topic, either historically or technically. At the risk of over-simplifying a complicated subject, we'll do our best to kee ...

    Quick-reference guide: Know your knife steels(Post)

    The products in the KnivesShipFree inventory represent dozens of different steels -- stainless steels and carbon steels, tool steels and "super" steels -- and we know that can be a bit overwhelmin ...

    FAQ: Can stainless steel rust?(Post)

    In short, yes -- most any steel, under the right conditions and if truly neglected, can oxidize (rust).What we call "stainless steel" is no exception.Think of stainless steel as rust-resistant, not r ...

    FAQ: What's the purpose of a 'sharpening steel'? How often should I use it?(Post)

    A "sharpening steel" (more accurately, "honing steel") is used to realign the very fine "micro edge" of a kitchen knife. Gently drawing the blade across the rod at a shallow angle realigns the edge ...

    Poetry in Steel: Bark River's Camp & Trail(Post)

    The other day, we were listening to a radio interview with one of our favorite celebrities as he traced the strange and circuitous path that led to his current fame. (We're not going to name him, but ...

    FAQ: "What does 'CPM' stand for in the knife industry?"(Post)

    Question: "What does “CPM” stand for in the knife industry?" In the knife world "CPM" stands for Crucible Particle Metallurgy. This is a proprietary system developed by Crucible Industries to c ...

    FAQ: My sheath has a firesteel loop -- what size firesteel will fit?(Post)

    The loop on sheaths from Bark River Knives, as well as the loops found on KSF Leather sheaths, will accommodate a 3/8" firesteel. These firesteels will fit: KnivesShipFree Custom Firesteels ...

    How to turn your ESEE knife into a firesteel striker(Post)

    A firesteel requires a sharp striker. It's possible to use your knife’s sharpened edge to get sparks flying, of course, but doing that even a few times creates a dull spot you’ll have to to ...

    What's the best place to buy firesteels?(Post)

    The best place to buy firesteels and other fire-making tools is KnivesShipFree, and here's why: We stock a great selection of fire-making tools, including firesteels from Light My Fire, cus ...

    How-To: Modifying a coated knife to strike a firesteel(Post)

    Modifying a coated knife to strike a firesteel A firesteel requires a sharp striker. It's possible to use your knife’s blade to make sparks fly, of course, but that can create a dull spot ...

    In praise of the 'gentleman's knife'(Post)

    Once upon a time, every gentleman carried a pocketknife -- everywhere he went, every single day. He didn't have one knife for the office, another for household chores and another for Sunda ...

    FAQ: What's the best way to keep my knife from rusting?(Post)

    That's an easy one: Use your knife and stop worrying about it.Seriously.Yes, all steels can rust -- even stainless steel. But if you're actually using your knife, taking it out of your pock ...

    How-To: Getting the most from your kitchen knives(Post)

    Getting the most from your kitchen knives Tip #1: Store your knives properly. If you throw your kitchen knives into a drawer they can chip or dull, and you risk cutting yourself when you rea ...

    FAQ: Can I sharpen my knives on a bench grinder or an electric knife sharpener?(Post)

    In a word... NO!Sure, it takes friction to sharpen steel, and an abrasive wheel spun by an electric motor will definitely produce friction -- but at a speed that also generates excessive heat and qui ...

    The Best Bushcrafting Knife? (Post)

    A Review of Bark River Knives: Bushcrafter When it comes to bushcraft/survival knives, how much is enough? How do you make sure your knife will be up to the task? Here’s a product from Bark River K ...

    FAQ: What does 'RC' or 'HRC' mean in a knife's specifications?(Post)

    Those abbreviations indicate the relative hardness of the knife's steel, as measured on the "Rockwell scale." And while we could spend a lot of time drilling into the metallurgical details of Rockwel ...