420 J2 Steel ?

wolfdog

wolfdog

Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
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What is this 420 J2 steel on the 460 Gamut and how does it compare to 420HC? Does the J2 have the Bos heat treatment?
 
Does 420J2 have any heat treat? :D
It makes a good structural steel for a knife frame.
It's about as low as you can go for a blade steel, though.
 
So did I misread and 420 J2 is the frame steel? Or is it the blade steel on the Gamut 460?
 
Not familiar with the knife. Had to look it up. The blade is 420J2.
Inexpensive knife, built offshore, probably make a reliable beater.
 
I think I've read that some of the offshore Bucks use that stuff. Maybe wrong, but Im sure I read it here somewhere.
 
The catalog says that the China made 300 series and the filet knives all have 420J2 steel blades. Also the small Bantam.
 
Bear Claw Chris Lappe said:
What catalog are you reading? Mine says "420HC" on all the imported 300's
Click to expand...

I have the 2009 Dealer Workbook in my lap as I type this.

All these:
380 mini-trapper
382 trapper
384 large trapper
385 toothpick
389 canoe
371 stockman
372 muskrat
373 trio
375 deuce
379 solo

are listed in the catalog as 420J2 steel. Pages 38 and 39.
I could scan the pages and post them if you'd like to see them.
 
Plumberdv said:
I have the 2009 Dealer Workbook in my lap as I type this.

All these:
380 mini-trapper
382 trapper
384 large trapper
385 toothpick
389 canoe
371 stockman
372 muskrat
373 trio
375 deuce
379 solo

are listed in the catalog as 420J2 steel. Pages 38 and 39.
I could scan the pages and post them if you'd like to see them.
Click to expand...

Nah, that's good. Mine is the 2008 one. Either it's a misprint or they've changed the steel this year. :thumbup:
 
420J2 is a low end blade steel with a maximum hardness in the mid 50s HRc range. It seems to be preferred in low cost knives because it's easy on tooling. It's also presumed to be very corrosion resistant, but anecdotal evidence says corrosion resistance isn't particularly good for stainless. While it will never be considered anything but low end blade steel, it can make a reasonable knife if run hard enough and given a good profile. A few esteemed manufacturers use the stuff, such as Buck and Kershaw, and do a reasonable job of it. My experience shows that it's limitations are usually related more to stock geometry (a manufacture/design issue) rather than theoretical limitations of the steel itself.
 
wolfdog said:
What is this 420 J2 steel on the 460 Gamut and how does it compare to 420HC? Does the J2 have the Bos heat treatment?
Click to expand...

420J2 is not actually a standard alloy. But from all accounts it is not the same as 420J, which has 0.15% Carbon and whose only legitimate use is for handles or frames.

According to CRKT, 420J2 contains 0.3% Carbon. (They use a fair amount of the stuff, so they should know.) This is significantly less than Buck's 420HC. I would think it would be difficult to get 420J2 much harder than a 54 Rockwell no matter who heat treats it. I would expect it to hold an edge significantly less well than 420HC. Decreased carbon content usually leads to increased corrosion resistance, all other things being equal, but there are other factors in play that could mask the improvement.
 
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