bowie with 01 tool steel

[rctk1]

i just got a large bowie with an 10.5" 01 tool steel blade, how well does this steel hold up to chopping and the elements? is it better than 0170-6c or 52100 steels?

 

[knife saber]

I can't compare steels, but a friend of mine has several Wally Hayes pieces in O-1, and he does some horrible things to those blades. You have to watch out for rust, but well-done, O-1 can stand up to some serious abuse. He's used these knives to:

1.) chop through tree branches of varying thickness
2.) baton through those branches he couldn't chop
3.) cut pennies up

I think that most of the simple tool steels available would be fine, as long as the smith was comfortable with it. O-1 is no exception. Sorry I couldn't tell you more.

 

[FullerH]

As has often been noted in these fora, the issue is not just the steel but the heat treat and the temper as well.

 

[fudo]

I believe that Bo Randall made a few outdoorsey-type knives from O-1 that seem to have held up well. :yawn: