5160 variants

69_knives

69_knives

Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
1,855
I'm going to start looking into acquiring some new 5160 flatbar stock in thinner sections that will require less forging time. I thought I've seen somebody post a reference to 5160 with a letter designation and wondered if I saw correctly and if so, what the difference is.

I like the 5160 because of the chrome and it's inherent resistance to corrosion and it takes a very nice mirror finish if desired.

Is 5160 as good if used as a stock removal material or is it better/best if forged?
 
I believe you might be refering to 5160H which has a bit more carbon (IIRC .01%) in its range than reg 5160.

It grinds just fine and isn't too tough on belts. Though with its slight chromium content, it will still rust quite easily and nowhere near stainless for corrosion resistance.
 
H steels are melted to hardenability levels not to chemistry levels .The chemistry is very close though. It won't make significant difference the the knife maker.
 
Thanks for the replies.

Had little luck finding any place that sells 5160 in any form but I found a manufacturer that uses a lot of it and they are going to let me go through their cutoff bin for little or nothing.

Maybe I'll whip up a nice little drop point hunter for the guy before I take a visit there.
 
For a steel just as tough and even more Carbon and Chrome, try 52100. It's very similar to 5160 but with 1% carbon for an even keener edge instead of .6% and about 2% chromium for even more carbides and toughness. will have to invest in some good oil (Parks 50 I think) though to really bring out the best in this steel.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top