Cutting instruments

A cutting instrument, comprising:

• a cutting instrument body having a blade with a cutting edge;
• said cutting instrument body made of Type 60 Nitinol, and heat treated to about 600° C. to 900° C. and allowed to cool slowly to reduce brittleness and notch sensitivity and improve toughness;
• said cutting instrument body having a hardness greater than about 50 on the Rockwell C scale, and said cutting edge heat treated to a hardness exceeding 57 on the Rockwell C scale for exceptional edge holding.

A cutting instrument comprising:

• a blade having a cutting edge having a hardness in excess of 50 on the Rockwell C scale;
• said blade being made of a monolithic piece of Type 60 Nitinol material having immunity to corrosion in sea water;
• an integral surface material on said instrument body having properties of extreme hardness, high electrical resistivity, chemical non-reactivity, slipperyness and a color selected from the group of light gold, dark gold, red/purple, light blue, dark blue, silver and gray, said integral surface material being formed on said instrument body by heating said blade to a temperature at which surfaces of said Type 60 Nitinol material turns to a desired one of said colors, and allowing said blade to cool slowly.

A cutting instrument, comprising:

• a blade having a cutting edge having a hardness in excess of 50 on the Rockwell C scale;
• said blade being made of a monolithic piece of Type 60 Nitinol material having immunity to corrosion in sea water, and heat treated to about 600° C. to 900° C. and allowed to cool slowly to reduce brittleness and notch sensitivity and improve toughness.

A knife, comprising:

• a knife body having a blade and an integral tang for mounting a handle;
• said knife body made of Type 60 Nitinol cut from a plate hot rolled from an ingot of Type 60 Nitinol, and heat treated to about 600° C. to 900° C. and allowed to cool slowly to reduce brittleness and notch sensitivity and improve toughness;
• said knife body having a strongback with a hardness greater than about 50 on the Rockwell C scale, and a cutting edge heat treated to a hardness exceeding 57 on the Rockwell C scale for exceptional edge holding.

A razor, comprising:

• a razor blade made of a strip of thin gauge Type 60 Nitinol sharpened along at least one longitudinal edge to a sharp edge.