Update 4/14/2024: Gameco is sold out but Amazon Australia has it now.
Update 3/29/2022: I added that SD Knives and Supplies is the place to buy in South Africa
Update 3/31/2021: I added that Gameco is the place to buy in Australia.
Update 10/13/2020: I completed a minor revision to Knife Engineering to correct a few typos. Some readers outside the USA also asked for more conversions from Fahrenheit than were present originally, so I incorporated both Celsius and Fahrenheit everywhere in the book in the text and tables, though some images and charts still have only one temperature scale or the other. I wouldn’t say that the changes in the revision are big enough to buy a new one if you have it already, this is not a new edition, but if you haven’t purchased one yet this is as good a time as any.
When I began working on this Knife Steel Nerds website I didn’t think I would write a book. I was doing this website instead of a book. And now after spending hundreds of hours and many months I have had time to reflect on why I wrote it:
- Knife Steel Nerds readers have been asking me for one. Apparently just because someone reads a blog doesn’t mean that they don’t also want a book to read. When I am asked for something I try to deliver!
- Reading comprehension is worse when reading on screens [1]. Personally, I find myself skimming a lot more when I read on my devices and I am a lot less patient with long articles. Reading a book is a different experience.
- Superior editing. I sent draft copies to a group of all-stars for suggestions and feedback including Devin Thomas, George Krauss, John Verhoeven, Roman Landes, Shawn Houston, and Cliff Stamp. The book is certainly a lot better after their ideas were incorporated.
- A book feels more permanent than articles on the internet. When the world’s internet crashes and the singularity leads to us hiding in underground bunkers we will still have copies of Knife Engineering to enjoy.
- Different mediums have different advantages. Blogs are good for one-off type subjects along the lines of 13 Myths about Heat Treating Knives or articles about current events like the release of the new CPM S45VN steel, and providing updates on individual experiments like CATRA edge retention testing of 48 knife steels. However, individual articles are usually limited in scope and sometimes commenters will ask, “Why didn’t you cover this?” when of course I can’t cover everything in an article on a specific topic. A book allows a broader introduction to a range of different areas and presenting them in a relatively logical order. It is easier to show how everything fits together.
- I can’t give the necessary background within every individual article. In many articles on this website I end up linking to older articles like crazy, i.e. To learn more about austenitizing, click here; if you don’t know how nitrogen affects steel, click here, etc. And according to my website’s statistics not many people click on those links so I think most people plow ahead hoping they can make sense of it anyway.
- This website has gotten too big. There are currently 108 articles and 270,400 words on this website before I click publish on this one. It’s very intimidating to new readers and they don’t know where to start. The book assumes you know almost nothing about knives and by the end of reading it you will know quite a bit about knives and steel.
Who is the Book for?
The book covers the major variables that control knife performance like edge geometry, steel selection, and heat treatment. This is described through different mechanisms that affect knives including: flexing and bending, chipping and fracture, corrosion, edge retention, grindability and polishability, etc. The different grades of knife steels are introduced including their composition, microstructure, toughness, edge retention, hardness, and corrosion resistance. The process of heat treating and processing steel is extensively covered including what happens in each step like austenitizing, quenching, tempering, cryo treatments, and more. That includes an explanation for the changes to microstructure, what the goals are for each step, and how to optimize the different heat treatment steps. And I provided specific heat treatment recommendations for most of the major knife steels. These are all things that knifemakers need to be concerned about for high performance knives. And knife enthusaists can learn what aspects knifemakers are controlling for, what to look for in their knives, and how to adjust their sharpening procedures in terms of edge angle and finish for different uses. I have images of the table of contents below.
Structure of the Book
The book comes in at a hefty 450 pages. There is plenty of detailed content for the most diehard knife enthusiasts and makers. However, for those of you that are scared of a high page count I would say not to worry. The page count is high in large part because of the hundreds of images that are included in the book. Pure text is dry, uninteresting, and hard to follow. Describing the process of austenite formation without pictures is an exercise in futility. Nearly every idea covered in the book has a corresponding image to illustrate what is being described. This is not that different than how I handle topics on this website. My regular readers will know that I like charts, diagrams, micrographs, etc.
The book is also broken up into digestible chunks. There are four major sections: 1) Steel and Knife Properties, 2) Knife Steels and their Metallurgy, 3) Processing and Heat Treating Steel, and 4) Knife Making. Each section has 5-10 chapters in it for a total of 29, each chapter averages around 2400 words and 12 pages. And each chapter has a summary to make sure you got the major points. Since I went through 8.5 years of Engineering University education I have read through my fair share of dense, difficult books. So when I wrote mine I was striving for comprehension, ease in finding relevant information, and clear structure.
I broke some traditional rules in writing one of these books in that I used the first-person in many places within it, especially when expressing my opinion. And while I cited where data came from when using charts from different sources, individual claims are not cited, instead having a references section for each chapter at the end of the book, so that citation numbers [2, 4, 7] do not break up the reading. These types of choices were for improving readability and providing the book a more engaging style.
More Exciting Features!
- I provided ratings for all of the major knife steels. You no longer have to rely on questionable “steel ranking” articles.
- Heat treatment recommendations for every major knife steel. (Yes, I already said this, but it looks even better as a bullet point).
- Stainless vs carbon. Forging vs stock removal. The real differences explained.
- How to read TTT, CCT, and Iron-Carbon Phase Diagrams.
- Impress your friends with terms like Austenitizing, Austempering, and Face Centered Cubic Crystal Structure.
Community Involvement
Writing for this website has been invaluable. I thought I knew the knife community well after growing up with a father with a Damascus steel business. However, I have learned a lot about what subjects are interesting to knife makers and buyers, what topics are confusing people, and which areas require(d) more research. I have gotten help from several knife makers and companies who volunteered time and materials for experiments to answer some big questions. Many of those experiments have been presented on this website, and that information was very helpful for the content of the book.
Price and Where to Buy
One of my big concerns with publishing a book like this is that books in the Academic Press are over $100, sometimes well over that number. I am very happy that I found an option to keep the book cost much lower, at $39.95 (note: the actual price varies based on the whims of Amazon robots).
The book is available exclusively on Amazon both in the USA and several international Amazon sites. It should be possible to buy in other countries by importing from the most convenient Amazon location. Let me know if you have any issues with ordering in your region and I will do my best to get you a copy.
South Africa – SD Knives and Supplies
Australia – Amazon.com.au
USA – Amazon.com
United Kingdom – Amazon.co.uk
Germany – Amazon.de
France – Amazon.fr
Spain – Amazon.es
Italy – Amazon.it
Japan – Amazon.co.jp
Canada – Amazon.ca
I Want to Hear From You!
One of the best ways to support me after buying the book is to write a review on Amazon. Reviews on Amazon help with the book’s position in different searches. And when people click on the book they can have confidence in what the book is offering by reading the experiences that others have had with it. If you have questions about different areas of the book or are interested in expanded information on different sections, please contact me here. I will do my best to answer, and this will let me know what should be added if there is ever a future second edition.
[1] Delgado, Pablo, Cristina Vargas, Rakefet Ackerman, and Ladislao Salmerón. “Don’t throw away your printed books: A meta-analysis on the effects of reading media on reading comprehension.” Educational Research Review 25 (2018): 23-38.
[2] I cite everything on my blog, which is somewhat backwards. Normally people are more careful about citations in books rather than on an article for the web.
[3] There is no citation number 3.
[4] I was just checking to see if you would read any of these citations.
[5] Five citations seems excessive for an article about my own book.
[6] Six even more so.
[7] Seven is a lucky number so we will stop here.
Thank you Larrin! Both for the book and the advancements you’ve made to the knifemaking community.
Thanks for taking the time to write this book, which is sorely needed. I have my copy on the way!
Already ordered! 🙂 Thank you for the great job. That’s an awesome blog and I can’t wait to see what’s in the book! 🙂
Greetings from Poland
good thing you stopped at 7… I think i shall have this…
Cited for exceeding the heed limit?
Please make a kindle version!
I love all the citations. Thanks for doing this and I’m looking forward to my copy showing up!
Just ordered mine! I had no idea you were writing a book. Im looking forward to reading it and I’m sure I will learn a ton.
I hope that you printed enough copies! I’ll be buying two, one for me and one for my brother, and we both will be recommending the book to other edged weapons minded folks!!!
Absolutely fantastic, but I think I will wait for citation #8 🙂
Gonna order now!
Is there going to be a eBook version or just the paperback version?
Just paperback
Do you have any plans to make this available via ebook? Or is this just strictly paperback only? If your traveling an ebook can be a life saver.
It is only paperback.
Hopping on over to Amazon right now. This is great news, Larrin!
Thanks very much. I can’t wait to get your book.
Hello Larrin,
l need your book, so gladit is a book,
I live in Australia, Amazon site in UK and USA for some reason state – do not deliver to Australia .
Can you help
I’m looking into it. I did not realize how strict Amazon was with shipping to Australia.
Thank you very much for your valuable work. Your contribution will surely benefit us as we learn and enjoy from it. Congratulations Larrin!
I absolutely crushed that Buy Now option on Amazon. This is excellent news, congratulations!! No pun intended, I know I’ve barely scratched the surface of steel metallurgy, but your work has been a game changer. Truly educational.
That’s great news, Larrin. You’ve got the talent of talking about complex matters in plain language.
I believe the restriction to Australian Amazon is only because of COVID making the delivery difficult – in my experience, for Australia the Amazon print-only books are printed in the USA and then delivered.
Maybe at some point you can consider publishing its digital version on Kindle and/or Google Books? To help the book reach more people.
Is it COVID, or because Amazon has a presence in Australia so we’re forced to purchase from them (and they ignore the fact they don’t carry it)? Although Amazon does seem to have some stupid restrictions…
Whatever the case, I’m looking forward to it..
As I understand it, it’s because Australia taxes certain imports and Amazon isn’t willing to pay the fee.
Wishing there’s ebook version as well.
Very interested in your book. Can you let me know when it will be available in Australia?
Regards
Rob
I’ve ordered my print copy for Amazon and am looking forward to reading it once I’m back in the US.
I’d also buy a Kindle version if it were made available, echoing the expressions of interest above.
Kindle?!?!?!?!?!?!?
As always Larrin, exhalant job on the finished project although I enjoyed the preview. This is going to be a groundbreaker for sure, great, great inside knowledge that is needed if you want to be a serious knife maker!
Ben Brabant
FOBOS Knives
Will order today!
Thanks for taking the time and effort to do this, when all else fails; to paraphrase Conan the barbarian “This you can trust”.
Glad to support you and hope it gets used in an academic setting at some point.
Lo he pedido hoy desde España. Será muy interesante 👍
Just bought my copy. Can’t wait to dig in!
Hey Larrin,
Just got the book in here in The Netherlands. Read the first few chapters and it’s great! Very clear, lots of useful pictures and diagrams. Anyone only mildly interested in knives should get a copy. I highly recommend it!
As a knife maker I already learned loads from your blog, having a paper copy is just indispensable.
Thank you!
Jasper – M3taal
Hello! Greetings from Argentina!
I’m not being able to get the book from amazon, there are shipping issues, plus shipping costs twice the books price, and to make it worse currency exchange rate is not good for us so total cost would be like 20 something percent of my monthly salary… 🙁
Hope you release a kindle version because I can’t wait to get my nose into that book!!!
Love your blog, thank you for all the work and effort!
I have been anticipating you writing a book for years, and it did not disappoint! Your book is the single best book I have seen on knife making!
If I could make any change to the book, I would add a steel index. I put together an index of the heat treatment recommendations for my own use. I pasted it below if anyone else wants it. I’m working on one for the whole book. This book is such an incredible reference and just being able to quickly flip to all of the sections on a particular steel will make this book even easier to use.
Thank you again for such an incredible book!
Steel Page #
1.2442 398
1.2519 397
1.2562 398
1.4116 419
1040 387
1045 387
1050 387
1055 387
1060 387
1075 388
1080 388
1084 388
1095 389
5160 391
8670 392
52100 396
10V 409
13C26 420
14C28N 419
154CM 426
15N20 393
19C27 425
204P 432
20CV 432
26C3 400
420HC 419
440A 422
440C 426
80CrV2 394
A2 405
A6 393
A8 402
A8 Mod 401
AEB-L 420
ASP2030 414
ASP2060 418
ATS34 426
B75P 427
BD1N 424
Becut 422
BG42 427
Blue #1 398
Blue #2 398
Blue Super 398
Caldie 403
CD-1 403
CPM 15V 411
CPM 1V 402
CPM 3V 404
CPM 4V 407
CPM-154 426
CPM-D2 408
CruForge V 397
CruWear 405
D2 408
Elmax 430
F2 398
HAP40 414
HAP72 417
K390 410
K490 407
K890 404
L6 392
LC200N 421
M1 412
M2 413
M3:2 414
M390 432
M398 434
M4 415
M42 413
Maxamet 417
N690 427
Niolox 423
Niolox+ 422
Nitro-V 421
O1 395
O2 395
PSF27 408
Rex 121 418
Rex 76 415
Rex 86 416
Rex45 414
RWL34 426
S1 390
S110V 433
S125V 436
S290 416
S30V 428
S35VN 428
S45VN 428
S5 391
S60V 432
S7 400
S90V 433
SG2 427
T1 412
T15 415
V-Toku 1 398
V-Toku 2 398
Vanadis 4 Extra 406
Vanadis 60 418
Vanadis 8 408
Vanax 431
Vancron 410
VG10 425
W1 389
W2 389
White #1 389
White #2 389
White #3 388
XHP 429
Z-Max 416
Z-Tuff 403
Z-Wear 405
ZDP-189 435
Bought a copy as soon as i heard about it. Looking forward to getting my mitts on it.
Hi there. I’m from Australia.
The USA AMAZON ordering didn’t work for me. I would like to buy a copy of the full size book please (450 pages) please advise.
Kind regards
Gameco will be offering the book in a few weeks.
I ordered in Australia through Amazon US, got in about ten days, awesome service for most in depth book l have come across
Could you order one for me too?
mike.g.davies@gmail.com if interested. I’m old and hopeless with technology!
Hello. please tell me how you can order your book from Russia? with respect.
Yes.
It took less than a week for two of them to reach Moscow, for example
I’ve been hitting this blog in searches recently, hut hadn’t taken much time to read. I was looking up a book om knife metallurgy on Amazon and saw this – just ordered it and subscribed.to the blog. Looking forward to seeing the book!
I hope you enjoy it!
The book is excellent, but it is not possible to find it in the Czech Republic, where I have been working in the field of physical metallurgy for many years (30).
Reply to Michal Černý:
Michale what about ordering it from Amazon.de? I am considering doing it as well. I can see they are shipping to ČR.
There’s any chance for a digital release? The book looks great, but with import fees and shipping it becomes very expensive in some countries.
Larrin, I was wondering about the book revision and if a person bought a book at Amazon now, if it would be the revised publishing or if there was a chance a person would get the original publishing.
I am so surprised when I am come up with a book!
I am a knife enthusiast. I always wanted to little bit dipper about knives. this book might help I think.
I am looking forward to buying your book “Knife Engineering”.
I think I will address the elephant in the room which is, why is this not available via ebook? What is the reasoning and rationale behind that? Simply put, I am in a part of Southern Africa where Amazon deliveries are just not an option. We barely get internet here, and I assure you there are no Amazon delivery services or book stores that carry this. Why not just release a kindle or ebook version of this that I can purchase through Amazon?
Hey Larrin, my name is Gabe, I run a YouTube channel on knife sharpening and I live in New Zealand. Since I launched the channel I have been researching and learning continuously about sharpening, metallurgy & steel but the biggest thing I’ve learned is that I know so much less than I thought haha!
I’d like to get your book, but with border lockdowns and very few planes in the air, shipping to NZ is spendy. Is there any way to get your book electronically on Kindle and save shipping?
PS I have followed your research (much as I can comprehend) for years and have been wishing someone would make a steel with ~ 1% C and ~ 10% Chr and a good amount of Ni and V for small carbides ever since you came out with your Charpy testing data and I saw the hole in the stainless midrange of the scatterplot. My mind was blown when you revealed MagnaCut, it’s almost exactly the steel I always wanted to see created, I just got a Spyderco Mule in it that I am SO excited to sharpen, use and enjoy – thanks for all you do for the community – you are a blessing, sir.
It is not currently available as an e-book.
Ok, thanks for letting me know. And thanks for what you do.
It would be great to have a seller available other than Amazon, for whose of us who don’t want to deal with El Jefe (Bezos). The book does sound great.
I concur, I want this book but refuse to use Amazon. I called our local independent bookstore and they informed me Amazon was the only retailer. I just want to support small businesses and people like you without feeding Amazon.
https://www.collectorknives.net/shop/accessories/knife-engineering-steel-heat-treating-and-geometry-paperback/
https://strataportland.com/products/knife-engineering
https://www.northriveroutdoors.com/products/knife-engineering-steel-heat-treating-and-geometry-paperback
Got this a year or so ago, and it’s great. I’ve read and enjoyed other books oon metallurgy/working with steel/iron but this contains almost anything one is likely to ask. Well done, Larrin, will check out your patreon and I go back to the toughness/edge retention/corrosion resistance page just about every day to brush up on steels I don’t usually mess with.
Would purchase if there was a Kindle version.
I have a big question, where I know little about forging.
When you heat a block of steel up to glowing yellow or white, is the metal inside molten held in by an external shell? I did see such a piece struck where it smoothed the guts out sending it flying. Which with say oxides on the outside, I can see where a shell would be created along with ambient temperatures keeping the exterior solid, while the insulation properties might absorb more and more heat internally, where I’m only asking as I’m sure there’s others that know especially the fellow who wrote the book. Which he is correct, I prefer a written book, it’s just easier to read.
Another question, do all the elements inside a glowing yellow or glowing white ball, or bulk, get to freely move around, joining to other elements equalizing the mix?
I’d appreciate feedback.
If the steel is overheated the grain boundaries will melt first, which leads to the interesting behavior when forging begins.
It’s a shame that’s no portuguese version of this book yet. My english is very basic to get a deep understanding of all topics… Cheers from Brazil.
Could you also release an e-book version of ‘Knife Engineering: Steel, Heat Treating, and Geometry’? I am in China and unable to purchase the physical book. I’ve already bought the e-book version of your new book. Thank you.
I plan to for the second edition, but I haven’t started on it yet.
Will there be a digital edition for the second edition? I have been following your website for many years and have learned a lot from it. I look forward to your new works, preferably in digital format, so I can purchase and download them directly online.
Hi Larrin,
I’m from China, interested in your book. And I want to buy one, however it seems no suit way for my country. Could you give me any suggestion?
Kind regard