Buck 110 with Tool Steel Blade?

K Williams

K Williams

Joined
Nov 17, 1998
Messages
3,296
Any possibility of the custom shop offering the Buck 110 with blades made of D2, A2, O-1, etc.?
 
Those steels don't lend themselves to today's mass production requirements.

To make the greatest profit Buck needs steels that can be stamped out like Christmas cookies.

Cookie Steels means "high end" stainless which equals Powder Steels not tool steels.

Buck rolls with mass production only these days.......it's all about big numbers.
 
Well, I can see how you would think that, but dig a little deeper.

All the blades are mass produced and the boys and girls in the Shoppe just put knives together from parts.

True customs cost lotsa hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
 
Well, I can see how you would think that, but dig a little deeper.

All the blades are mass produced and the boys and girls in the Shoppe just put knives together from parts.
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The powder steels like CPM 154, S30V etc. can not be stamped out like 420hc. Not at the thicknesses Buck uses. Strictly water jet or laser cut.

Joe
 
I said stamped out like cookies, not stamped out like 420HC.

Meaning that these steels lend themselves well to Buck's mass production needs.
 
I said stamped out like cookies, not stamped out like 420HC.

Meaning that these steels lend themselves well to Buck's mass production needs.
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How so? You're not explaining it very well. Tool steels are cut the same way as the high carbon, high alloy stainless steels powder or not. The only difference would be in the area of keeping them from rusting while being transported, stored and waiting to be sold.


Joe
 
Wish I could explain it very weller for you.

I'll have to watch the DVD again.

Have you watched it?
 
You could alway.s ask Leroy about the possibility of getting a blade in one of those steels. But be forwarned, it won't be cheap
 
I've toured the plant and watched them cut the blades out w/ CNG plasma cutters. This was of the premium steel blades. The others are sheared. DM
 
K Williams said:
Dammit... :( But those steels are much cheaper than the high end stainless...
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O-1 yes, A-2 yes but not D-2. 440-C has good value over 154-cm, BG-42 and S30V. In that order. D-2 is right with the high end stainless, it was higher than 154-cm. I just bought some ATS-34 last week and checked. DM
 
Wish I could explain it very weller for you.

I'll have to watch the DVD again.

Have you watched it?
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No, I haven't. I'll look at it. Thanks for the heads up on it. Sounds good.

As far as steel goes I'm pretty familiar with the basics but make no claims on knife companies methods or proprietary stuff. I do have sheets of 1095, D2, S30V, S35VN, M2, 15V and some other stuff right behind me while I type this. There's no cookie cutting these steels at knife like thicknesses. I prefer water jet cutting over Laser so I don't have to grind more steel off due to possible effects from the laser heating the steels and damaging it's grain structure. Some steels are more susceptible to that, as well as other variables like the laser itself and how fast it's moving, etc. Not a great problem at all, but something to be cautious with.

Regards,

Joe
 
You would enjoy the DVD, I'm sure. It's pretty cheap for club members off the Buck website.....may even show up on Amazon used, I haven't checked.

I'll have to look at it again. I know that the choice of steel is important in the profit margin, I just don't have the details on why.

It's not just the "cutting out" process, it has to do with the total process for maximum mass production and the cost and availability of the various types of steel. For some reason, S30V is the only thing Buck will use for a "premium" steel and it doesn't appear that will change in the foreseeable future.

I do remember that 440C was tearing up the equipment and 425MOD worked good......and later they switched to the 420HC because it was an "in-stock" steel rather than a special order and thus cheaper.

Obviously they only made a few in BG-42, darn.
 
David Martin said:
I've toured the plant and watched them cut the blades out w/ CNG plasma cutters. This was of the premium steel blades. The others are sheared. DM
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I've also toured the plant/watched the tour video (which is a great DVD BTW)
I thought that the premium steel blanks were cut with two Mitshubishi Lasers. Is a plasma cutter basically a laser?
 
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