440c ?

I would recommend New Jersey steel baron. May not be the cheapest but the quality is good. I bought 3ft from the cheapest place and cant use any of it.
 
Do not bother with 440C, and do not be taken in by its low price.

440C was once the premium stainless steel... 40+ years ago. The chemistry is still good... the quality of what the various (overseas?) mills are putting out under that "grade"... not so much. See recent threads right here about how lackluster it has become. :barf:

Not a week ago, we discussed how awful those "old grades" of formerly high-end alloys have become.

Get you some CPM-154, CPM-S35VN or M390 and have it HT'ed by a pro. You'll be much better off.
 
check out alpha knife supply. You can buy many types of steel without buying a 3 foot bar. If you want something like 440c you can try N690. Another stainless you might try is AEB-L

440C is a fine stainless steel and they know how to heat treat well now. The problem is not the 440C, the problem is people perception of 440c due to its reputation being tarnished by cheap knives marking everything with 440 on them.
 
You can get 440C from Jantz knife supply, Texas Knife supply, Pop's knife supply, Admiral Steel, New Jersey Steel Baron, Alpha Knife Supply, and some others I forgot. 440C Is a wonderful steel to make knives from. I have mine heat treated by Paul Bos co. in Idaho and it makes fine sporting knives. Larry Lehman
 
AVigil said:
The problem is not the 440C, the problem is people perception of 440c due to its reputation being tarnished by cheap knives marking everything with 440 on them.
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I beg to differ.

Your point about 440C's reputation being "tarnished" by lesser, similar alloys and "perception" of them was true a couple decades ago. And that was a damn shame. Because true, clean 440C was a very good alloy.

But we are not buying knives or steel from the back pages of a 1980's magazine here, we are talking about currently-available alloys among professionals. The 440C barstock I have seen in the last several years is not nearly as clean or consistent as it should be, and neither I nor my HT guy trusts its chemistry.

Frankly, it sucks, especially compared to the powder metals available now, and I refuse to be associated with it.

The fact that what we now call "440C" has fallen so far from its glory days is also a damn shame... but unfortunately, it's a fact.
 
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james terrio said:
I beg to differ.

Your point about 440C's reputation being "tarnished" by lesser, similar alloys and "perception" of them was true a couple decades ago. And that was a damn shame. Because true, clean 440C was a very good alloy.

But we are not buying knives or steel from the back pages of a 1980's magazine here, we are talking about currently-available alloys among professionals. The 440C barstock I have seen in the last several years is not nearly as clean or consistent as it should be, and neither I nor my HT guy trusts its chemistry.

Frankly, it sucks, especially compared to the powder metals available now, and I refuse to be associated with it.

The fact that what we now call "440C" has fallen so far from its glory days is also a damn shame... but unfortunately, it's a fact.
Click to expand...

You need to buy from a better source then. I buy from Alpha Knife supply and it is Bohler N695 (440C) has been clean as a whistle and when heat treated properly have no problem in the field performance. I have many hunters specifically request it because they trust it and they have no problem in processing pigs and deer with them.
 
There may be poor quality 440C stock around, but I've compared Randalls in 440B and a Farid in 440C to an RJ Martin in S30V, and the 440 -in those cases- was superior in edge stability and edge holding even at thinner angles... I prefer good 440B or C over anything else... I'll concede several 440C knives I have used performed very poorly in edge durability, even at higher/thicker angles vs lower angles, this including at least two high end custom knives... Like AVigil said, there is the question of supplier, and, in addition, 440 heat treatment is known to be tricky. Randall seems to get their 440B exactly right to a level beyond most others: I would choose Randall's 440B steel in every knife I own, if I could...

Quote: "Frankly, it sucks, especially compared to the powder metals available now, and I refuse to be associated with it."

I've tested several 1980s period knives, most of them in D-2 and 440C, and I would say they can match or beat some of the new powder alloys, particularly at thinner edge angles... D-2 is also very good (and seems maybe more consistent accross different knives) but not appreciably superior to 440C. To say as a blanket statement that the older alloys are no match to newer ones is often the opposite of what is easily observable...

Gaston
 
Thanks for the info, I am still working on my first knife, It is 01 tool steel, Ill see how this comes out. Thanks again
 
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