Since I presume steel is a more or less uniform substance compared to biological processes, why is metallurgical research still more or less experiment first?<p>Shouldn't it possible nowadays to bruteforce a search for an alloy of any given properties using computer simulations of the atomic or molecular structures?
In metallurgy, several computational models are available based on specific applications. University of Cambridge is involved in neural network modeling. Just recently I published a paper that analyzed a welding electrode database to provide specific insights. One could see it here, <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/WJ-www.aws.org/supplement/2021.100.036.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://s3.amazonaws.com/WJ-www.aws.org/supplement/2021.100....</a>
Really interesting read. It's cool that a company like Crucible was willing to consider a proposal for something as expensive, time consuming, and potentially fruitless as a new steel from essentially someone off the street.
Very cool to see this pop up on Hacker News. I'm into pocket knives, and Larrin's new steel is generating a lot of hype among knife users and makers.
Larrin was on one of my favorite podcasts, Cooking Issues, to talk about various knife related things. Very good discussion.<p>Episode link: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/knives-out-with-52817284" rel="nofollow">https://www.patreon.com/posts/knives-out-with-52817284</a><p>You do not need to be a Patron subscriber to listen to the episode. Also, if you're interested in the technical side of cooking and drink making, Cooking Issues is <i>the</i> podcast to listen to. There's a huge back catalog of shows on their former network, HRN, as well as a bunch of shows via their new arrangement.
Now, <i>that</i> is a labor of love!<p>I find good chef's knives to be worth their price, but the truly <i>awesome</i> ones are a bit out of my price/performance range.<p>If I made my living as a chef, I might think differently.
I'm sure this will get down voted as its a Luddites call to arms, but all my cutlery is simple high carbon steel.<p>Its cheap, holds an excellent edge, and in the kitchen it develops a wonderful rustic patina. For a pocket knife, a few drops of oil once or twice a year will keep it in good order, or you can chemically blue it if that suits your style as well.