Buck Heat treating ??

The first Buck
knife was made in 1902 by Hoyt Buck, who was an apprentice
blacksmith in Leavenworth, Kansas. Tired of sharpening and
re-sharpening tools for farmers, Hoyt decided to try to find a
way to make the steel hold an edge longer. Using worn-out file
blades and rasps, he experimented until he developed a tempering
system that helped the blade retain its edge after most
blades would have worn down. In a far more sophisticated
and controlled system, Buck’s current heat-treat methods
reflect Hoyt’s original innovative concept.
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http://www.unionroofers.com/pdfs/3Q08p6.pdf

One important thing to remember about the BOS Heat Treat is that although it may be administered by a new person, it's still the BOS Heat Treat.

It's the same system under Farner and done the same way.

While some may make the mistake of trying to attain a Rockwell hardness that is too extreme--Buck does not make that mistake. They've got it down to a fine art after so many years. No other knife company can say the same.
 
We must also remember that a Proper heat treat has at least 2 parts. Hardening And Tempering. If a blade isn't tempered after hardening it will more then likely be to brittle and other bad things. Some one more versed in the terminology can explain it better.
 
ericvar101 said:
I am interested in buying a Buck knife (spacifically the 337BKS-B Paradigm - Pro ) it is made with premium S30V steel, but as you know, heat treating is as important as blade material when it comes to blade quality, but I have not been able to find any information on the hardness of the blade. Does anyone know how I would find the HRC(Rockwell hardness scale) rating on knives made by Buck. they are commonly listed for other knives I own made by Benchmade and Sypderco, but I cant find anything on Bucks website.
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Howdy,
I have access to a Rockwell hardness tester, calibrated to a standard traceable to the National Standard.
I have a Buck Vantage Pro in S30V.
I measured it at 59.7

I've done a fair bit of edge retention testing. You can find a number of my reports by performing a search of the Knife Reviews and Testing Forum.
Buck S30V is as good as S30V gets. When I compare other alloys to S30V, I reach for my Buck as being the highest performing example of S30V. It's that good.
 
I seem to remember seeing a RC of 58-60 on the package of a Buck 143 at Walmart. I didn't realize they ran their 420HC that high.
 
One thing to consider also,is that any knife company offering a premium steel like s30v most likely is offereing a decent knife ,they wouldn;t bother offering a s30v blade thats garbage,watch out for the 440a ,this is junk steel.Knife companies selling junk don't usually offer decent blade steels.
 
Dunny153 said:
I wouldnt worry to much with Buck knives. Their heat treat is done by the best in the business Paul Bos. Any steel you get from Buck will probably be as good as it can get heat treat wise
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+1. Buck S30V heat treat is done by Paul Bos. You can trust his heat treat with your life; lots of people do.
 
StuntDouble said:
I seem to remember seeing a RC of 58-60 on the package of a Buck 143 at Walmart. I didn't realize they ran their 420HC that high.
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I have measured 4 Buck 420HC blades. Each was 59+.

RAZORBLADES said:
One thing to consider also,is that any knife company offering a premium steel like s30v most likely is offereing a decent knife ,they wouldn;t bother offering a s30v blade thats garbage,watch out for the 440a ,this is junk steel.Knife companies selling junk don't usually offer decent blade steels.
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Depends on the knife company. "Schrade +" was 440A and they did a good job with it. Decent stuff.

Camillus also used 440A for most of their stainless. It also was good.
 
Yes, 440A was used on much of Bucks 300 series from the early 70's to 86 and it was good. Its a very good stainless, much depends on heat treat. DM
 
Good thread, and studying it should be a reminder that there are a lot of good steels around and among those that are manufactured well and have a good heat treat.....there's not a heck of a lot of difference.
 
Very good points about 440A. After many American companies had moved up, Europeans were still using 440A, and getting better and better at it. I've had Laguioles before they started using 12C27 that were 440A, hardened a few points softer than we like it, that were still good user knives. When I started seriously looking at higher end knives, 440C was a super steel.
 
I've had all bad experiences with 440a and edge retention,i can sharpen it razor sharp,thats not the problem,it never stayed sharp for me very long,and that was why i didn't take to it.
 
RAZORBLADES said:
I've had all bad experiences with 440a and edge retention,i can sharpen it razor sharp,thats not the problem,it never stayed sharp for me very long,and that was why i didn't take to it.
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Like I said, depends on whose knives they were.

440a ,this is junk steel.
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There is no such thing as "junk steel". There are only alloys which are better suited for some purposes than for others.
 
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