Talonite®

Talonite has interesting properties that are different than steel. It does not leave a metallic taste or discolor acidic foods. This is one of the reasons it is used for making sushi and used in fruit knives used for cutting citrus. It also has high lubricity i.e., it is very slippery. I've been cut a few times and did not know I was cut. The material is so slippery I did not feel it cut my skin. I thought the blade had grazed my skin, but did not break the skin. Later I found blood coming from a cut where the blade had touched.

The corrosion resistance of Talonite is accurately described as extreme. You can leave Talonite in the ocean for 1,000 years and have a very hard time detecting any corrosion. You can get the alloy to corrode if you boil it in 20% acid solution such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid for weeks or months.

When you receive the material, it is already heat treated. The hardness is in the middle 40's of the Rockwell C scale. The test shows the hardness of the cobalt. However, the cobalt matrix contains chromium and molybdenum carbides that are very hard. The softer cobalt wears away exposing the harder carbides to help with cutting.

To profile the blade, you can use an abrasive chop saw or grind it to shape. We do not recommend using a bandsaw. Use high quality belts to grind the bevels. Be aware of the high lubricity of the material. If you are using dull belts or not enough pressure, the belt will slide rather than cut. Do not be concerned about getting the blade hot enough to ruin the heat treatment. You would have to be over 2,000°F before the heat treating is affected. We recommend using a slack belt to grind the final bevel. The convex grind does a good job of supporting the cutting edge.

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