01 steel question....

ryan9977

ryan9977

Joined
Feb 16, 2006
Messages
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ok so i was looking into getting o1 in 3/32 sheets.....i saw it here

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=1752843&PMT4NO=95812954

and then here:

http://www.admiralsteel.com/shop/


is it the same steel?.....how can u tell if it is precision ground?....not that i want it precision ground but is it a case where if it doesn't say it it isn't?.....i assume precision groundis more expensive.....

is it thesame composition?....is all o1 the same.....just tryin to understand all the variables beforei buy the wrong stuff.....thanks guys.....ryan
 
Manufacturers all will have slight variations in their recipe. There will also be slight variations from batch to batch. The main thing I look for is that it contains vanadium. Most do, but some do not. Vanadium helps to keep carbon from collecting in the grain boundaries, makes the steel stronger, and aids in grain refinement.
 
thanks lrb....so whenpeople buy say o1....do u have get the steelcompositioneverytime u buy it?....is there that much differnece between companies that sell it.....i meani like a good deal just like the next guy but not if it means settling for something crappy,,,,ryan
 
O1 is good stuff, even if it doesn't contain Vanadium. But, a little Vanadium always makes it better, IMO. And, yes, the various O1 recipes can vary, depending on manufacture.
 
ryan9977 said:
thanks lrb....so whenpeople buy say o1....do u have get the steelcompositioneverytime u buy it?....is there that much differnece between companies that sell it.....i meani like a good deal just like the next guy but not if it means settling for something crappy,,,,ryan
Click to expand...

Note that I said, "slight" variations. It is basicly all the same except for the vanadium. I will not use 01 if there is no vanadium in it, but thats my choice. I also will not buy it if there is not a chart showing the composition of it. It is all good, but the vanadium makes it a tad better. Why would you want it in sheets?
 
Just a thought, if you're doing kitchen knives you might want to step away from carbon steel and look into stainless. I'm a strong devotee of forged carbon steel except for kitchen knives. I just got some CPM 154 CM in (I think 3/32 or 1/8) really thin flat from Aldo, and his prices were great (you have to call or email him, his website doesn't list it but he has at least a couple hundred pounds last I knew. The CPM steels have the really fine carbide size you would normally expect only from carbon steels and a fair amount of toughness and wear resistance, plus they will resist the edge corrosion that really attacks carbon steel kitchen knives. It will be wierd sending them to the Paul Bos heat treating service (yes i know Paul retired, but his assistant is now running the shop so there should be no break in quality from what everyone has been getting)

just a thought

-Page
 
page
ryan is a foodie and is fine witht the carbon steel thing :)

but yes indead the cpm steels are great i too use cpm154 for my SS and O1 for my carbon steel blades in the kitchen (takes a nice patina )

chances are that no matter what steel he gets i ll likly be the HTer (we have talked about this on the phone before )

cant wait to see what comes out of the shop ryan
 
D2 is like that also. The good stuff contains a lot of vanadium, but ultimately it is up to the manufacturer. Vanadium costs $15/pound, so many use it sparingly. I believe Crucible (in their non CPM line) and Carpenter use .8-.9% in their D2, which is a lot.


The cost difference, per blade, of using an O1 or a D2 etc that comes with certs is only a couple dollars. With places like Niagara Specialty Metals selling USA made steel and Crucible steel, it is my opinion that using quality USA made steel makes sense for most knives. I don't always feel that way about some tool and die work (depends on the part, who cares where the steel in a wear pad or back plate came from), but something like a knife blade, that uses so little steel, and the quality of that steel is so important - why not splurge and get the best you can find?

I've been hearing about quality problems in some sources of 1095. I wonder why folks don't change to USA W1? It costs twice as much? Oh - it is two bucks instead of one. Who cares?
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1/8" PG is gonna measure really close to .125

Oversize will be more like .150. This allows the machinist a skim cut to clean things up. Some stock allowance.

Oversize is oversized
 
thanks nathan.....i appreciate it.....makes sense i guess....as a machinist i assume their measurements might not be as exact as some machinists could get them.....ryan
 
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