S emper Celerior chooses its steels and suppliers based on very strict criteria. We have made a particular choice of quality materials:
“Sleipner” steel:
The Sleipner steel allows the knife to keep a very good edge, longer and when the uses are very intensive. This steel does not chip as often seen in some stainless and high alloy steels.
The chemical composition of "Sleipner" steel, allows the material to be tempered at high temperature towards high hardness with retained ductility (ability to deform without breaking) and effective toughness while being relatively easy to sharpen and able to obtain a very sharp and durable edge.
Due to the 8% chromium content, it will resist corrosion to some degree compared to ordinary carbon steel (about 0.5% Cr), but not as well as stainless steel (which contains about 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 category of 8% Cr matrix steels and was developed to have a toughness close to simple tool steels like O2 and A2 but with a much higher wear resistance, closer D2 steels.
Its composition for the curious: C 0.9% Si 0.9% Mn 0.5% Cr 7.8% Mo 2.5% V 0.5% (~HRC 60)
More info: Technical specifications "Sleipner"
N690 steels:
These are cobalt-enriched stainless steels from Austria's Böhler.
It is a premium steel that holds the edge very well while being relatively easy to sharpen.
N690 shares some properties with other cobalt-enriched steels, e.g. ATS-55 and VG-10. Cobalt increases the wear resistance of the blade due to the uniform crystal structure.
Composition: C. 1.08%, Si. 0.40%, Mn. 0.40%, Cr. 17.3% Mo. 1.1% V. 0.1% Co. 1.50% (HRC 58-60)
Knife steels Sandvik 14C28N, 12C27…
They are chemistry-optimized steels that provide premium knife materials with a unique combination and excellent balance of edge performance (stability and ability to deliver a very good cutting characteristic), high hardness and good strength. corrosion.
Sandvik steels are very good knife steels due to their composition, purity and capacity. That being said, they impose a very fine edge.
If heat treatment routines are too conventional these steels can get a little soft.
It is for this reason that we use steels which add a cryogenic treatment cycle at approximately -190 degrees Celsius with the use of liquid nitrogen after quenching.
The process results in a blade that has a higher hardness than a conventionally hardened blade and retains a better edge longer by maximizing the potential of the base Sandvik steel.
These stainless steels are the most balanced for bushcraft knives, offering great toughness, high wear resistance and high strength.
Composition for 14C28N:
- 0.62 Si. 0.2Mn. 0.6 P. 0.025 S. 0.01 Cr. 14.0 N. 0.11 (~HRC 60)
Composition for 12C27:
13.5% Cr / 0.6% C / 0.4% Mn / 0.4% Si / 0.025% Ph / 0.01% S
K720 steels:
This is Böhler K720 tool steel.
It is a heavy duty oil tempered high carbon tool steel.
The chemical composition allows it to be hardened to a high degree while maintaining ductility and toughness at the same time that it is easy to sharpen and can achieve a razor sharp edge.
Although easy to sharpen, the low chrome content means it will dull if left damp.
The knife that has a K720 blade should be wiped clean after use and protected with oil or wax when stored for storage.
Composition: C. 0.9%, Si. 0.25%, Mn. 2.0%, Cr. 0.35% V. 0.1% (HRC 58-60)