bolher n-685 question

[newshooter04]

can anyone give me any info . on this steel? bolher n-685
good , bad, sharpens easily or hard, holds a edge well, other steels it is simular to. i'm looking at the forrester by bark river. thank you
david

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Bohlers version/variant of AISI 440B. It is at the high end of the carbon and chromium range of AISI 440B and has a small amount of vanadium, 0.1 %, for grain refinement. Ref :

http://onet.tehonetti.fi/sten3/onet/data/attachments/N685DE.pdf

Not a lot of people use 440B aside from Randall, they run it fairly soft though so it is readily filed. I assume Bark River runs it harder and thus it won't compare directly to that as it would be much more resistant to rolling and deformation and obviously much harder to machine.

It is basically a higher carbide version of 12C27mod, a common scandinavian knife steel. Expect similar hardness and corrosion resistance with greater wear resistance through a large carbide volume fraction. You might notice a decrease in push cutting sharpness if your standards are high enough and the angles low enough. But few people can make distinctions of that type.

Cliff

 

[newshooter04]

cliff, thank you for helping me with this steel. i had never heard of it but from what i read about bark river im sure it is good steel. i am wondering why they used this steel to make such a large chopper like the forrester instead of a good tool steel like they use in there other knives.i admit i know little about steel and on a personal note i want you to know i apprecate you for the service you provide us unknowning.
im always amazed at people who complain and argue with what you do but i never notice anything positive they do .thank you sir
david

 

[Satrang]

Bohler's website with all their data sheets is: http://www.bohler-edelstahl.com/
You will see more knives with N690 than N685.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

i am wondering why they used this steel to make such a large chopper like the forrester instead of a good tool steel like they use in there other knives.

Corrosion resistance is a big selling point to some. That class of stainless, while not ideal, is a lot more suitable for that type of knife than the high carbon and high alloy carbide class that tends to dominate most cutlery now based on the misconception that wear resistance = quality. No worries about forum conflicts, just passing along what I have learned.

-Cliff