Carbon or stainless: telling them apart?

Dan97526 · Post by **Dan97526** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:26 am

I was knife shopping today at a shop I just found. A lot of "new, old stock" knives without packaging. The problem that I had was that unless I knew what kind of steel the knife was (like knowing that Old Timers are carbon, for example), I couldn't tell if the new knives I was looking at were carbon or stainless. Since I generally avoid buying stainless, I passed on several knives that I really liked because I had no way to know what steel they were.

Can anyone advise me if there is a way to determine the steel of a new knife? I can't exactly take them home and see if a patina develops before I buy them....

:

Thanks,

Dan

Paladin · Post by **Paladin** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 1:26 pm

Dan,
I started to ask about this on your Col Coon post.
Stainless knives are almost always marked on the tang as such. Just because they are mirror polished does not mean they are stainless.

Ray

rigwelder · Post by **rigwelder** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 1:27 pm

carry a apple in your pocket!

Dan97526 · Post by **Dan97526** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:42 am

Looks like I'll just have to take my chances! I suppose it might get me over my illogical aversion to stainless anyway. That said, my checking account is already begging for mercy after finding that new shop!