axe steel choices, advice appreciated

[DeadboxHero]

L6, S5 or S7?

I also saw there was a S7 ESR which is cleaner

I need help narrowing down the steel to invest time and resources into.

This would help tremendously given the knowledge and experience here with metallurgy for cutlery

Otherwise it will take me years to find out on my own

I want a 4lbs felling axe with a 36" haft

High hardness for axe 56-58hrc with no chipping on hardwood, knots etc

Also must work in subzero temperatures without shattering, cracking and chipping.



Thanks

Shawn

 

[JeffreyFogleboch]

Why not use 1084? It should give you a very tough and stable edge with a hard edge...not to mention it would be cheaper than the mentioned steels and far easier to heat treat.

-Jeff F


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[jdm61]

Of the ones you mentioned, I would be inclined to go with L6. Aside from being tough at those hardness levels, it supposedly works better in cold climes.

 

[DeadboxHero]

Why not use 1084? It should give you a very tough and stable edge with a hard edge...not to mention it would be cheaper than the mentioned steels and far easier to heat treat.

-Jeff F


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Price and home heat treatment aren't factors

I want performance above anything and I'm willing to pay within reason, and have heat treatment by Brad but I need some direction so I'm not paving old roads or reinventing the wheel

 

[DeadboxHero]

Of the ones you mentioned, I would be inclined to go with L6. Aside from being tough at those hardness levels, it supposedly works better in cold climes.

Nice, would the industry recommend heat treatment be the best or is it better to hold different annealing temperatures and soak times?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

All three would make an excellent axe.

You may be overthinking this, though - 1050/60, 5160, and 1095 all make a superb axe. HT and geometry are probably far more important than metal choice.