Normalization and thermal cycling after forging: when it fixes problems and when it does not
How normalizing after forging changes grain, stress, and hardening response, with clear limits.
Technical Knife Articles
Dynamic recrystallization and reduction timing
A technical guide to how deformation schedule changes microstructure in blade steels.
Austenite grain growth in blades
Causes, detection, and recovery strategies for knife makers
Forging temperature windows for knife steel
A technical guide to forging in the correct phase window so you avoid cold edge damage and overheating side effects.
Technical Knife Forging and Heat Treat Handbook for Bushcraft
A full technical reference on forging and heat treating bushcraft knives, from microstructure control to real field performance.
Stainless in the Wild: How Heat Treat and Carbides Affect Corrosion Resistance
Stainless knives are not rust proof. This guide explains how carbides, heat treat, cooling rate, and sheath moisture decide real corrosion resistance in bushcraft use.
Edge retention vs toughness vs corrosion resistance
Technical guide to choosing bushcraft knives by retention, toughness, and corrosion, plus how to test and tune your edge.
Why Knives Crack in Quench: Distortion, Residual Stress, and Maker Controls That Prevent It
A technical guide to the thermal and transformation stresses that break blades, and the process controls that stop it.