440C Stainless info needed!!!

[sinawalli]

I just picked up a chunk of 440C, that is 2.5" wide 24" long and .250" thick. Now .250" is a little thick for my liking, so I put it on a surface gringer at work, and took it down to@.160. How does it fare as a knife steel? Edge holding, durability, corrosion resistance, easy to grind??? Thanks!!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

440C is a good ,general use stainless for knives. It will hold up well. Other stainless steels may be harder, or tougher, or more corrosion resistant......but I don't know of any that are cheaper. It is an industry standard.
Stacy

 

[JB Knives]

440C will make for a very good using knife. I used a lot of it before moving on to A-2 and D-2, and all of those blades are still in very good condition. It seemed to be just a bit tougher to work with than A-2 and D-2, possibly because 440C is stainless. However, my 440C blades seem to polish better than the tool steels. It may not be the best steel out there, but it will still make a more than acceptable blade.