440C Hardened to 62 Rockwell?

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supertoady

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Apr 27, 2017
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I bought a knife made of 440C. The manufacturer said on his website ones like I bought had a really good heat treatment or something, and have an incredible 62 Rockwell hardness.

Is that truly excellent? Any disadvantages?

Thanks
 
Typically the higher the hardness the more brittle it is. Modern alloys like the CPM series of Crucible can do both ! Ask yourself what are you going to do with it ?
 
It's a small "Hideaway" knife. A "Straight". I suspect it will hang around my neck and seldom be used for cutting up cardboard, etc.

I was wondering if it was truly possible to get 440C up to Rockwell 62, but hey, I know nothing of metals and knife-making. I'm happy if it merely has a few advantages despite some brittleness.

Anyone else have knowledge about such a hard 440C?
 
According to the Latrobe data sheet for 440C, the untempered hardness of 440C can be as high as 62.5. So, it's possible.
https://www.alphaknifesupply.com/Pictures/Info/Steel/440C-DS-Latrobe.pdf

But if his finished blade is really 62HRC, that means he did not temper the steel.
Not tempering the blade will mean it's going to be REALLY brittle.

I'd steer away from it.
 
I have a custom from Dennis Bradley at 61R in 440c. I have used for the last 2 years with no problem; took the back out of a chicken with it. The knife is a lockback the size of a Buck 112. I like 440c, it has served me well in a Benchmade 31.
 
"If" you have a blade in 440c, at 62 rh, AND tempered, it was some truly incredible state of the art Cryo treatment pushing 440c to its limits.

Expect it to hold an edge great, something akin to a vg10 or N690-ish, but it wouldn't be as tough respectively. Avoid prying or any abuse.

Or as others mentioned, it is untempered, and that means certainly brittle, so avoid impact and expect chipping.

Or, it is more akin to a really good batch of 440c and is more likely 58-60 rh, which is the money spot in my opinion for 440c, pushing for 60 for smaller blades, aiming for closer to 58 on any larger ones, 4"+

Only way to truly tell is have it tested for rh, or use it until it shatters, or doesn't, and report back with your findings?
 
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:eek: If you're gonna baton , chop wood , throw , pry , screwdrive etc . it could break :confused:. Regular light utility and SD would be OK .:cool:
 
knarfeng said:
According to the Latrobe data sheet for 440C, the untempered hardness of 440C can be as high as 62.5. So, it's possible.
https://www.alphaknifesupply.com/Pictures/Info/Steel/440C-DS-Latrobe.pdf

But if his finished blade is really 62HRC, that means he did not temper the steel.
Not tempering the blade will mean it's going to be REALLY brittle.

I'd steer away from it.
Click to expand...
Maybe he bumped the aus temp to 2050 rather then the recommended 1950 on that spec sheet then went straight to cryo followed by a few 350 f tempers.

I wonder

Just joining the specualtion :D
 
Thanks for the interesting thoughts. I welcome yet more! I'll get pics up soon.

Again, it's a Hideawayknife and looks like some on the site that are said to be 62 Rockwell. The photo on the site is of "cat claws" whereas mine is a "straight", however both are "striped" 440C. I figure they might have been cut from the same batch of steel.
 
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BTW, would you consider it responsible knifemaking to ever not temper a 440C blade? Perhaps reasoning that the blade being 2 inches or under, and for defensive purposes only, it was justified?
 
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I always thought of 440c as a decent midrange steel. I'm not sure if pushing it to 62 hrc would be much of a benefit to the customer or if it is just some kind of marketing hype. Personally, I recommend steering clear.
 
I'm curious.

Is a "hideaway" knife a weapon? A weapon of, perhaps, last resort?

Why would use a knife you have any questions about for such a job? Isn't this job a must-not-fail-in-any-way-under-any-circumstances, like a reserve parachute or a backup regulator?
 
I already spent the money. I've decided I like it and it's good enough. I just may wait for someone else to make such knives before buying another. Dunno yet.
 
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