After thought to my homecoming from Finland hike – Casström Lars Fält Knife - K720 vs Sleipner steel

11 days ago
6

Yeah home again, getting everything tided up for the next trip or just everything back in to order in generally with my kit, which worked out very well and I'm not going to alter anything, may just trough some unused stuff out.
But well the main thing is that I wanted to tell you a bit more of my afterthoughts, specially regarding the Casström Lars Fält knife, since I found out or rather remembered some technical details I forgot to mention on the trip.
It's because there are two sorts of steel available for the Lars Fält knife that serving different needs for Bushcraft, the blade marked up with “K720 steel” containing a higher grade of carbon steel, so this is better for thronging sparks working with a magnesium rod much better, while the 2nd does tend to rust lesser or not as easy, containing more chrome and makes the steel slightly harder for heavy work.
So make your mind up what you gonna be use your knife for, if you want to get yourself one of the very useable and bushcraft dedicated Casström Lars Fält knife's, this info should make you aware of the differences to look out for of the two types of steel this knife is available from dealers or shops, because they tend not to know nor care about the properties these two blades can give you for different needs.

https://www.casstrom.com/
https://www.casstrom.com/materials.html
Stated on the Casström web-page:

About K720 steel:
Böhler Tool Steel K720 is a very tough and strong oil hardened high carbon tool steel. The chemical composition allows it to be hardened to a high degree whilst maintaining ductility and toughness at the same time, as it is easy to sharpen and can obtain a razor sharp edge. Whilst easy to sharpen, the low chromium content means it will tarnish if left wet, and it must therefore be wiped after use and protected by oil or wax when put away for storage.
Composition: C. 0.9%, Si. 0.25%, Mn. 2.0%, Cr. 0.35% V. 0.1% (HRC 58-60)

About Sleipner steel:
Sleipner steel allows the knife to keep a sharp edge very well, for longer and also during very hard use without chipping to the extent that is often seen in stainless and high-alloy steels. The chemical composition allows high temperature tempering to a high hardness with retained ductility (ability to deform without breakage) and toughness, while still being relatively easy to sharpen and capable of obtaining a very sharp and durable edge. Due to the 8% chromium content, it will resist corrosion to some degree compared to regular carbon steel (around 0.5% Cr) but not as well as stainless steel (13% Cr). Therefore, the blade should be dried after use and protected with oil or wax when stored in a high humidity environment.
Sleipner steel belongs to the 8% Cr die steel category and was developed to have toughness close to simple tool steels like O2 and A2 but with much higher wear resistance, closer to D2.
Composition: C 0.9% Si 0.9% Mn 0.5% Cr 7.8% Mo 2.5% V 0.5% (~HRC 60)
Casström Lars Fält Knife
Steel:Uddeholm Sleipner (Non-stainless), 59-60 HRC:
https://www.casstrom.com/knives/fixed-blad/casstrom-lars-falt-knife.html

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