5160 and 1084

T

thegeek574

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Sep 3, 2010
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Everyone,
I am about ready to get going on knife 1, and I am going to be buying steel from aldo. I basically have the opportunity to get 5160 or 1084. the 5160 is only available in 1/4 inch, and the 1084 has my preferred size of 3/16ths.

my question is as follows: Is there much of a difference between the process of heat treating 1084 and 5160? 1084 is kinda preferred right now, but if 5160 is easier/better, the i will live with 1/4th. any opinions?

Thanks
 
There is a great sticky by Kevin Cashen at the top of this forum called, "Working with three steels." It addresses this well.

Short answer - The steels will produce pretty much identical blades. 1084 has more carbon and is about as simple as it gets in HT. 5160 has more alloy ingredients, but will allow a poor HT to still make an OK knife. I always recommend 1084 to those who ask.
 
If you go down to Salem and have Chuck help you with the heat treat, pick whichever you prefer. If you want to heat treat yourself, it'd be best to stick to the 1084 and get to know one steel well at a time. At least that's the advice I've picked up. The 1084 in 3/16" Will also save you a lot of filing time vs starting with 1/4".
 
If it really does not matter, then i think i will go with 1084. I am really leaning toward the smaller thickness. kinda wanted to play with 5160 though.....
 
How do you plan on heat treating?

1084 is best if all you have is a heat source and a magnet. If you are sending them off you have loads of options. The 1084 will probably make the most knives for the money and still be top quality.
 
5160 is best for larger chopping blades, 1084 can swing in that direction but would be a better choice if you want smaller slicing blades with better edge holding. 5160 will reach a nice 62.5 HRC with just about any oil, but 1084 will require a little more care in the oil selection to reach full maximum hardness of around 65 HRC or even 66 if you really get it just right.
 
bladsmth said:
There is a great sticky by Kevin Cashen at the top of this forum called, "Working with three steels." It addresses this well.

Short answer - The steels will produce pretty much identical blades. 1084 has more carbon and is about as simple as it gets in HT. 5160 has more alloy ingredients, but will allow a poor HT to still make an OK knife. I always recommend 1084 to those who ask.
Click to expand...

I realize this is an old thread, but I cannot find this sticky, and when I search on "working with three" in the title, nothing comes up. Do you have a link to this thread?

Thanks!
 
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