3V steel ponderings

pialia

pialia

Joined
Feb 11, 2012
Messages
494
I've been prowling the forums for quite a while, and I tend to look through a lot of for sale threads with all kinds of works from our dear makers here on the forum. I've come to notice that I see very few makers using 3V. Is it because it's a quite expensive steel and difficult to work with? I have no experience with the making of knives, so please enlighten me :D

I would think that it would be great for larger bushcrafting blades and choppers etc. The only person I see using it quite a lot is Gavkoo(from youtube). Doesn't it share a lot of properties with f.e. INFI? I'd imagine it's a deal easier to acquire than INFI for most makers, though!

Anyhoo, share your thoughts on the subject. I'm tired, and I get ponderous and curious when tired!
 
It's a very interesting steel !!! I was confused when I first investigated because the biggest comment was how tough it is .But it seemed that everyone was making 4" blades ,so the tough chopper thing didn't even apply.So I had a custom knife made , 1 pound ,8" blade with my input in the design. It's now a pleasure to use chopper .Tough , wear resistant ,difficult to rust .I think I would call it a super steel.
 
I own 3 3V knives so far (two more on the way). The only two explanations I can think of is that a lot of makers on here forge their knives and maybe 3V doesn't forge well. The other reason I would think is because it is hard to get a nice finish with. To get a nice "presentation" finish would take many hours of hand finishing. Just my guesses though. I personally feel that the edge holding and stain resistance is underrated and that it is a great all around steel for knives of all sizes.
 
It's one of my favorite steels for larger fixed blades 5"+, I'm currently having a "urban survival" style knife made out of one, which will be 7" long and .25" thick reverse tanto blade, basically something I could use to break into or out of buildings and cars with if necessary. I'm also having a 3V 12" chopper made with it. I like it for its toughness and edge holding abilities. There are tougher steels like S7, but they give up too much edge holding ability for my liking.
 
Fehrman and Bark River are using 3V. I really like this steel, very tough, and edge holding comparable to D2. Or better. What's not to like?
 
Jeremy Robertson makes a 3V version of his El Patron folder. I have one and it's probably my favorite knife that I own. I've done a lot of reading about 3V and it really is a nice steel, especially for knives intended for hard use.
 
3V is one of my favorites especially for a bigger knife. I think it really shines in thin blades. It can also take a very thin edge and not deform or chip. I have a 13 inch .150 thick 3V bolo/ machete by Chris Berry and its absolutely amazing and is a perfect design for the qualities of 3V. Its also really underrated in the edge holding department and its very stain resistant. Not quite stainless but much more stain resistant that traditional carbon steels. Personally I think its the single best all around steel out there. You can use it in everything from a fillet knife to a katana and it will shine, not many steels can do that.
 
KalEl said:
... I think it really shines in thin blades. ...
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I agree.

The beauty of 3V is that you can make thinner blades without sacrificing toughness.

Some steels offer better edge retention, but few steels are as tough as 3V.




Big Mike
 
I'm planning on a 3V gladius here. It's already drawn out. For me, the main thing is that it's just so expensive compared to 5160.
 
I love 3V for knives both large and small.

wroughndt said:
The other reason I would think is because it is hard to get a nice finish with. To get a nice "presentation" finish would take many hours of hand finishing.
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That is almost complete nonsense, and I don't know why it's ben perpetuated for so long.

Yes, it's very wear-resistant and difficult to sand or polish after HT. But just like other "super" steels, with professional HT techniques, it comes out just as straight and smooth as when I finish grinding it - just a light layer of tempering color that's easy to sand off. That means I can take it to just about as high a finish as I want before HT and save a lot of work. Why other makers don't capitalize on this, I have no idea. It seems the whole market has just gotten used to the idea of machine finished or media-blasted blades... not that there's anything wrong with that necessarily, but it's not the only option.
 
I have a bushcraft style knife in 3V and I was actually quite surprised how easy it is to sharpen with compound on leather. I usually raise a burr on the black BRKT compound, then green compound from chefknivestogo after. Works great, even on this steel.
 
Big Chris Barong, 18" of sheer madness-

BCB.jpg

bcb2.jpg
 
I, too, have a Big Chris bolo (some call it a barong, but I think it's more a bolo) in 3V. It's an amazing knife. Chris sent it to me with a very sharp 30-degree (inclusive) edge. I've been using it to cut back the woody brush along my mile-long driveway. Absolutely wonderful. When I come to 3- or 4-inch alder branches, I can chop through them in a snap, using the lower part of the edge and letting the forward part of the blade generate power.

I also had a chance to compare identical bowies in W2 and 3V. The 3V was far superior.
 
3v is currently one of the best US carbon steels. It holds its edge very well its tough and even rust resistant
Bark River has a lot of their models in 3V now.
 
Who are you guys going to to heat treat your 3V, and what hardness are you shooting for in a big (10") blade?

Thanks.
 
I use Peter's HT. I have them temper it back to 58Rc for big choppers, and the next time I do some smaller blades I'll go for 60Rc.
 
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