Carbon tool steels

hiwa

hiwa

Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Messages
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Pete here. I'd like to start a thread about owners of tool steel knives ( 0-1,A-2, etc, regarding performance, maintenance, sharpening...anything regarding owning and using these steels. Even other carbon steels; ANYTHING BUT STAINLESS!. I am a new member and would like to know what opinions you fellas have.
I live in western Canada and am into bush survival/ bushcraft/ shelter building, collecting blades and well versed in sharpening.

Thanks .
 
It may be my imagination. But I am very partial to D2, I find it easy to sharpen, it takes just the kind of edge that I like best, it holds it nicely and I haven’t had any problems with it chipping (even under heavy use/light abuse). I prefer it over virtually every steel I’ve ever used simply because it offers me everything I need at a reasonable price.

I recently got a knife in CMP-D2 and while I haven’t used it enough to see if I can tell a difference between that and D2 but im guessing its gonna be good simply because its D2.
 
As important as the steel used is the heat treatment. Wayne Goddard's books and Step by Step knifemaking by David Boye provide excellent information about different steels and heat treatments. You can probably find them cheap thru Abe books on the web.
 
0-1 rocks IMO, easy to sharpen and tough as hell, but requires constant maintenence as far as rust.
also 0-1 is alot softer than most steels IIRC the HRC is around 55/56 so it is much more likely to bend rather than snap and will absorb alot of force with minimal long term damage. IMO 0-1 makes a great steel for outdoor rough-use knives as long as you take care of them.

p.s. WOOT! post 300!
 
Just finished a knife for myself in CPM D2 and I'm almost done with a Chef's cleaver in CPM 3V. Both are heat treated by Paul Bos to HRC 60+.

The CPM D2 is incredible, and I'm looking forward to testing out the 3V. I haven't had any problem with rust, even in the kitchen.
 
I'm a big fan of M2 and O1.

+1 for hose56.
In my opinion, more important than steel type is what kind of heat treatment is applied to.
I prefer good old salt pot than vacuum heat treating.
 
D2 is more a stainless steel than carbon.A2 is great though should be much more popular. For tough types L6 and CPM3V.
 
Carbon steel is something I look for in a knife now. A2 done by Bark River is fantastic, so is 1095 by Rat Cutlery and Great Eastern Cutlery. I have made knives for myself in 5160 and 0-1 also. The 5160 is very easy to put a hair popping edge on but it will rust. The 0-1 knives I have made will hold an edge longer than any I have made. A friend who bought one I made in O-1 skinned and butchered a cow and it would still shave after. All however will form a patina and/or rust if they are not wiped down, cleaned or otherwise provided a thin film of oil. FWIW, all my stainless fixed blades now sit in a box in the basement, all displaced by superior carbon steel.
 
Carbon/tool steels have long been among my favorites, based on relative ease of sharpening combined with ability to take and hold an edge. Carbon V was my first experience with tool steels, I will not part with my Master Hunter or SRK. Favorites include M2, CPM-M4, SR101, and Carbon V. Don't have a blade in CPM-D2 or 3V but they seems to be excellent steels; D2 has a lot of chromium, imo it's tough to call it stainless. Kershaw uses a tool steel based damascus from Alabama Damascus- good stuff. Plain-Jane 1095 is great steel, as was said earlier heat treat is everything.

On smaller folding blades, high end stainless such as ZDP-189, S90V, S110V etc. have blurred the line, reasonably stainless blades offering performance beyond what the average user will ever notice- but they tend to be expensive. As technologies improve, these types of steels will continue to evolve- good for us!
 
D2 user for years here. Tough, stain resistant, stays sharper longer than all my other steels. Not hard to keep sharp with a diamond stone. Can't let it get dull or it does take some work to bring the edge back. But luckily I don't need to sharpen it as much so maintenance isn't a problem.
 
A2 is excellent stuff. 52100 also makes great edges. I don't think rust should be of anyone's concern. As long as you keep them dry, you shouldn't have any problems with rust. If you plan not to use the knives, keep 'em oiled. That shouls do the trick.

What I've been observing for sometimes now, carbon steel makes sharper knives compared to stainless.
 
Differentially treated O1 is my favorite (a la my NWA knife), but D2/CPM D2 is right up there too. That being said, I do have a soft spot in my heart for my Sandvik Moras...
 
A2 seems to be a little tougher to sharpen than O1 or 1095. It has held a better edge for me though. This is based on some woodworking plane blades. I'd bet that you would get similar results with knife blades.
 
I think my favorite is 1095. For me it has just abouut the right combination of sharpness, edge retention, and ease of sharpening. I also like the look of a patina.

I also like the A-2 of my two Bark Rivers. They seem less sensitive to moisture or patina than 1095.
 
My three favorite steels are O1, A2, & CPM3V. The O1 & A2 are the easiest to sharpen and hold an edge well. The 3V is less likely to rust and is a bit tougher to sharpen. I barely have any stainless knives, I just like the properties and abilities of carbon steel better. I do not mind the additional maintenance involved with the carbon steels.
 
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