Admiral's 14C28N

[N.W. Gean]

Hey all. Looking to branch into stainless steel after I get through my 8670 blanks. I have some questions about it though. I see that Admiral has 14C28N at a good price, and in sizes that I can get the most out of (72" bar, I can get 7 of my blanks with only about 2" in cutoff). I have heard that admiral has sometimes sent the wrong alloy though. What are your experiences with this?

Is 14C28N the same as AEB-L?

Does it warp the same as AEB-L?

Should the bevels be done pre or post HT on it?

Regards,
N.W. Gean

 

[Scaniaman]

14C28N is upgraded AEB-L. They both warp. I grind them post HT. 14c28n is great bang for the buck and machines very easily.

 

[N.W. Gean]

Sounds like it's worth trying. Easy machining is a big plus.

 

[Atlas Knife Company]

My recollection is that the wrong alloys from Admiral occurred several years ago, claiming something was L6 when it wasn't. I believe it was that a supplier misrepresented 8670? to them as being identical to L6 for use in damascus. 8670 was, within the knife community, exclusively out of Europe and kind of a mystery for a few years. Of course, once it was figured out, people knew better.

I haven't heard of any other alloys being sent wrongly, aside from simple mistakes that any supplier might make. I've gone through hundreds of pounds of 1075/1080 from them and never received the wrong alloy.