Cpm-154

Sam Salvati

Sam Salvati

Joined
Aug 6, 2007
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OK, so I have some CPM-154 on the way thanks to Ryan, and I have no idea whatsoever how to handle it! I will of course be sending it out for heat treat, no way could I ever do it with my setup now, which makes things ALOT easier for me.

Is it considered a stainless? It is air hardening correct? Will it be suitable for longer than 15" blades (sword length blades)? If I send it out for HT, what sort of hardness can I expect upon it returning? Is it forgeable? Can I expect alot of warpage from the heat treat?

I tried going onto Crucible's as well as Admiral's websites for more info but no luck.
 
CPM 154 is basically the same composition as 154CM and ATS 34. It is a stainless, only it's manufactured using the Crucible Particle Metallurgy method. This allows for a more even distribution of the alloying elements, improved machinability, improved consistency, some increased hardness, and increased toughness over the standard 154CM.

It's a great all around knife steel. It heat treats the same as 154CM and ATS34. It's air hardening and can be plate quenched very effectively. It also benefits from cryo.

--nathan
 
It's one of the best !! Same chemistry as 154CM. Best done with 'plate quench'. Send to Peter's HT in PA or Bos.Yes stainless, air hardening.Not the best for very long blades [ wasted I think].Not really appropriate for forging.Polishes well ,Liked by both maker and user !!If you want to give it away there are many who would take it !!!
 
It drills easier (at least to me) better than O-1. And it takes a great finish. I found it particularly easy to sand as compared to O-1 or 440C. Again, maybe just me, but it seems to work easier.

--nathan
 
mete said:
It's one of the best !! Same chemistry as 154CM. Best done with 'plate quench'. Send to Peter's HT in PA or Bos.Yes stainless, air hardening.Not the best for very long blades [ wasted I think].Not really appropriate for forging.Polishes well ,Liked by both maker and user !!If you want to give it away there are many who would take it !!!
Click to expand...

I will probably send it to Paul Bos.

Robert, apart from personal preference for use of steel :D, is there any technical reasons why it would not be suitable for a longer blade, like impact resistance/strength?

Nathan, thanks for the info!
 
Sam, I made some blades out of it and sent them off to Paul Bos for heat treating. I was very pleased with the results. If you tell Paul what you intend the blade to be used for, he can recommend a specific hardness and tempering process to bring out the best in your blade.

As for forging, I think that would screw up the uniformity of the steel (Mete, please correct me if I'm wrong), which is the whole purpose of Crucible's Particle Metallurgy process.

Here's the Crucible spec sheet for CPM 154 CM
 
If you forge it properly there would be no problem .After all that material has been hot rolled which is basically the process.
I said CPM154 is not appropriate for swords or longer knives because that would imply a chopper .[Like the Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck cartoon where the guy guarding the treasure keeps saying " I chop, I chop" !! ] For a chopper you wouldn't develop that type of steel.You would look for toughness rather than wear resistance.
Forging any of the stainless steels is a project that few care to get involved with !
 
I HT my RWL34 (it is very similar to CPM154 and PowderSteel) reed knives myself.
Austenize at 1940 F40 mins, Plate quench with pressured air, then temper 2 hours 2 times at 415 F. It grinds, drills and finishes great and have a sharp edge I never seen on any other steel..
 
Galadduin, I don't think Sam has an electric oven yet or it it to short for what he is thinking about making. I am thinking he got the sword bug when he made the last one.
 
Yeah I don't have any higher tech heating apparatus than my gas forge.

Jim, yeah you got me, thinking on making a high tech super steel sword (tm) :D . Maybe a super thin cutter not so much a chopper, I will have to see. I do want to make some sashimi knives out of it also.
 
Mete, thanks for the info. :thumbup:
It's good to know that it could be forged, even though I have no intention of every trying it.
 
deker has hit cpm154 with a hammer before so you could ask him how it acts

im soon treating a batch of blades that are cpm154/cpm3v 2000f soak for 15 min and Ln then temper 400 gets 61-62 Rc
let me know if the blade is under 18 inch
 
OK, so I have it in the mail now. I can say already it is a huge weight off my shoulder concerning the fact I will not have to HT myself. i'll not be bothering really with anything other than kitchen knives with this stuff.

Deker, do you have any tips or tricks when it comes to forging this?

Cannot wait to see the final performance of a properly treated bit of high tech steel.
 
In general for those complex alloys - keep the temperature up and use a power hammer. Precise temperature control is a very good idea too !
 
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