1084 alternative....80CrV2 maybe??

[ACLakey]

I made several knives with 1084 and 1095 this fall and really like working with 1084 for whatever reason. I'm having a difficult time finding more steel and have been researching 80CrV2 quite a bit, it seems to be a solid performer, inexpensive and readily available. Currently I have simple heat treating tools and it would like to stick with materials I can treat myself. Please share your thoughts, likes and dislikes of 80CrV2 or any suitable alternative ot 1084.[SUB][/SUB]

 

[Brian77]

Related to workability, I really like it. I have switched over to it mostly since spring as an alternative to 1084 and 1095. But I use Peter's Heat Treat, so I cannot answer questions about that side of things.

Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk

 

[kuraki]

I am a big fan of 80CRV2 but it's not as easily heat treated as 1084, at least, getting all the benefit of the added chromium and vanadium out of your heat treat isn't easily done without temperature control and soak times. You can certainly get it hard in a forge by eye, but like Stacy often says about higher alloy steels, your end product may essentially be 1084 at best, performance wise. When I use it, I heat treat in a temperature controlled furnace. When I do 1084 or 1075, I do it in my forge.

1084 and 1075 are both readily available from NJ Steel Baron. I just looked through a few sizes and all were in stock. http://newjerseysteelbaron.com/shop/1084hc/