The American Peasant

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The American Peasant
A Few Bits of Magic Steel
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A Few Bits of Magic Steel

I haven't encountered many pieces of steel that live up to their hype. Most marketing claptrap isn't worth the 1s and 0s beamed into your eyeballs.

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Christopher Schwarz
Dec 02, 2022
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A Few Bits of Magic Steel
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For the most part, there's good steel and crap steel. There are a few ways to make good steel (careful alloying and skilled heat treating) and a slop bucket of ways to make crap steel.

Can you detect the differences among varieties of A2 that are put out by different toolmakers? If it's well-made A2, most non-toolmakers can't. The differences are subtle and not worth writing about.

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So why are we here? To talk about the magical stuff. The best steel I've encountered isn't Japanese. And it isn't some high-tech powdered metal that is 1 percent militant Schmoo.

It's from Idaho.

Every tool from Barr Specialty Tools I have owned or used has been made of steel that is noticeably – and shockingly – better than all the other steel stuff in my tool chest. The steel takes a fine edge quickly on waterstones and oilstones. And it's an edge that has a wicked clin…

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