Blade material

F

FWO

Joined
Oct 31, 1998
Messages
622
For those who make pocket knives I have a suggestion.
The knives are many times used quit a bit. For knives that are sometimes quit expensive why is so much ATS 34 used.
There are many steels out there that have been tried and perform much better. The use of RWL 34 , 19C27 , 3V , 52100 and others make good strong blades. They also cut much better.
I have carried a smaller single locker that looks like a pocket knife but has a mid lock. It is in 3V the single blade is very tough and holds a great edge at .90 to a distal taper.I also have a 3V Trapper , and Gun Stock
I also have three or four that are in 52100. All were made by Bailey Bradshaw. I carried the little knife for about 7 years and have cut lots of cardboard and hard paper products. It is very tight , I keep and little synthetic grease on the joint and blade. The grease is water proof and salt water proof. Made by Pro Blend for wheel bearing etc . for vehicles that run at the salt flats at high speeds.
I love a fine pocket knife, but I think makers can do better than ATS 34 .

Floyd
 
The grind has a lot to do with how a knive cuts. I have skinned , boned and cut up a lot of animals w/ ats and 154cm. I find both these steels very good. They rc the same from batch to batch they cut very good and for the most part they dont rust. I dont see what else a guy needs.
 
I don't make knives, but I like the 154CM family just for the stainless properties and very good edge holding. Same thing with a few other popular steels. For me, the better question is "Why use something that rusts easily when you don't have to?"

(I only get away with stuff like this because I'm a novice with a 10' pole.):D
 
Interesting. So.. ATS-34 bad, everything else good. Got it.


:rolleyes:
 
ATS is one of my favorites. It's always worked great for me in every job I throw at it
 
I'd take ATS-34 over any of the stuff that rusts. Call it patina all you like:D Ain't sayin' I don't or won't own carbon steel, but it isn't gonna be my first choice on a custom slippy...EVER.
 
all makers i'm aware of usually detail which alloys are used in various models. some work with as many as 5 or 6 alloys in addition to forging.i did'nt think a majority preferred ats34. however heat treat in many cases is more important than steel choice.actually i was of the impression most makers had moved on to the plethora of newer steels.in any case when placing an order one can avoid ats34 if desired.
 
When I was starting out making slipjoints I was using precision ground O1 because it was cheap and easy to get. Then I started using stainless and ats-34 seemed to be popular and available in precision ground stock and reasonably priced. For me it is the next stepping stone of steels.
 
powder 154 cm is only 2x the cost, but is 2x tougher at the same hardness. It's hard to justify using ats 34 (same composition) here. Might be more reasonable if it doesn't have to cross the Pacific.

I used ats 34 for about 20 blades including a sword. No problems with it, as a matter of fact I liked it, but tool steels or powder versions like rwl 34 will bury it.
 
People have been trying to come up with the "perfect" metal for thousands of years, it's NEVER going to happen and there will always have to be trade-offs.
 
Now you've got me curious. What's your personal experience with ATS-34 and how did it underperform for you? I've used 154CM, a close relative, with no problems at all.
 
i have tried many alloys & i.m.o. ats is about 65 on a 100 scale. zdp, cpmd2, cpm154, vg10, 30v, 60v & so on all outperforming it. in older times most collector knives were made from 440c because of the great polish it could achive. generally carbon alloys tend to be easier to polish but also stain a lot more.the question is not what is wrong with ats34 but what is great about it.
 
wagglebee said:
People have been trying to come up with the "perfect" metal for thousands of years, it's NEVER going to happen and there will always have to be trade-offs.
Click to expand...
^^^
+1 :thumbup:

..and while we're at it, somebody call Bob Loveless and tell him ATS-34 isn't any good.

Doug :D
 
cnas122 said:
ATS is one of my favorites. It's always worked great for me in every job I throw at it
Click to expand...

Its excellent
Any good custom knifemaker will tell you,it's not the steel,its the heat treat & the grind.

Did you ever own a knife,from a maker like T Bose, Reese Bose ,Kerry Hampton,Rick Menefee,Bret Dowell K. Coats & Erickson,Jerry Halfrich....The list goes on & they ALL use different blade steels from time to time

Having a good edge & holding it,is all about the HT & grind.
All the different cutlery steels have slightly different properties,corrosion resistance,takes a toothy edge,etc
But ATS 34 is good steel.

There,I touched on it,without the stolen 10 ft pole!
-Vince
 
ATS-34 is a good stuff, no doubt about it, but like the OP I prefer other other steels when it comes to my custom knives. That's the beauty about a custom knife, you can get a maker to use the materials you want. I like CPM154 personally.
 
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