Create Your Own Custom Knife with Knifemaking Blade Blanks at 888 Knives R Us!

KNIFE MAKING HISTORY - The earliest knives were shaped by percussive flaking of rock, particularly harder rocks such as obsidian and flint. During the Paleolithic era Homo habilis likely made similar tools out of wood, bone, and similar highly perishable materials that have not survived. As recent as five thousand years ago, as advances in metallurgy progressed, stone, wood, and bone blades were gradually succeeded by copper, bronze, iron, and eventually steel. Modern knives may be made from many different materials such as alloy tool steels, carbon fiber, ceramics, and titanium. Knives gained prominence during the Middle Ages as one of the three major items of cutlery in the western world, accompanying the fork and spoon, and in this way much of the world's population is exposed to knives on a daily basis. There is a very active community of modern custom knife makers and collectors. The American Bladesmith Society promotes forged blades; the Knifemakers Guild promotes all custom knives.
Today, knives come in many forms but can be categorized between two broad types: fixed blade knives and folding, or pocket, knives.
Knife blades can be manufactured from a variety of materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Carbon steel, an alloy of iron and carbon, can be very sharp, hold its edge well, and remain easy to sharpen, but is vulnerable to rust and stains. Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, chromium, possibly nickel, and molybdenum, with only a small amount of carbon. It is not able to take quite as sharp an edge as carbon steel, but is highly resistant to corrosion. High carbon stainless steel is stainless steel with a higher amount of carbon, intended to combine the best attributes of carbon steel and stainless steel. High carbon stainless steel blades do not discolor or stain, and maintain a sharp edge. Laminate blades use multiple metals to create a layered sandwich, combining the attributes of both. For example, a harder, more brittle steel may be sandwiched between an outer layer of softer, tougher, stainless steel to reduce vulnerability to corrosion. In this case, however, the part most affected by corrosion, the edge, is still vulnerable. Pattern-welding is similar to laminate construction. Layers of different steel types are welded together, but then the stock is manipulated to create patterns in the steel. Titanium is metal that is lighter, more wear resistant, and more flexible than steel. Although less hard and unable to take as sharp an edge, carbides in the titanium alloy allow them to be heat-treated to a sufficient hardness. Ceramic blades are incredibly hard, lightweight blades; so hard that they will maintain a sharp edge for months or years with no maintenance at all. They are immune to corrosion, but can only be sharpened on silicon carbide sandpaper and some grinding wheels. Plastic blades are not very sharp at all but are typically serrated, and are usually considered disposable.

888 Knives R Us is pleased to offer a full line of knifemaking blades and accessories. If you are looking for a particular model that you do not see on our webstore, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to find it for you. Thanks for shopping with us.