Why are burrs so malleable?

[EOU]

Interesting comments all round Me2. We took note of your comment " I used the larger knife, a 175 mm Misuzu Bunka, to cut some apples and onions, and the edge dulled from corrosion." We assume that you are referring to the acidic effect on the edge? Interesting because we've noted and measured the effects of oxidation on edges before but hadn't really considered possible corrosive effects. That would be a whole new area of interest, particularly for kitchen users.