Modern Ilocano blades

[Ian]

Hello Xas,

Thank you for posting your excellent examples of recently made Ilokano knives, and for their nomenclature. Very useful information.

As far as 5160 steel and it being referred to as "moly," that term would imply the presence of molybdenum (Mo) in the alloy, but 5160 does not contain molybdenum. Here is a brief description of 5160 steel provided by the Continental Steel and Tube Company, which includes the specification for the components of that steel:

"Alloy Steel 5160, also sold as AISI 5160, is a high carbon and chromium spring steel. It offers outstanding toughness, a high level of ductility, and excellent fatigue resistance. Alloy Steel 5160 is in use in the automotive field in a number of different heavy spring applications, especially for leaf springs. It is important to note that Alloy Steel 5160 can be difficult to weld and machine and may require special procedures.

To be labeled as Alloy Steel 5160, an alloy must be made of a specific chemical composition that includes:

• Fe Balance
• Mn 0.75-1%
• Cr 0.7-0.9%
• C 0.56-0.64%
• P 0.035%
• Si ≤ 0.15-0.3%
• S ≤ 0.04%

..."

The amount of chromium (Cr) is too low for this to be considered stainless steel.

Ian.