CPM 3 V choppers

[Big Chris]

I have twenty knives in 3V I am grinding , four of which are choppers in the 19" OAL range, getting ready to send for heat treat. I plan on asking peters to harden the smaller knives to 60-61 and am unsure if the choppers can be that hard, or should they be in the 57-58 range. These are my first choppers in 3V, and want to get it right. Any input is appreciated and thanks ahead of time.

 

[mete]

My chopper [Shawn Knowles] was treated by Peter's though I asked for 400 temper instead of the high temperature temper .CPM 3V is tough stuff so you don't have to drop hardness that low .59-60 or even 60-61 will work. You'll be very happy with the knives !!

 

[james terrio]

The whole point of CPM-3V is to get very high toughness without sacrificing hardness. Go for it, 60Rc should be just peachy. That's how Peters' has done my 3V blades, and you have to try pretty darn hard to get them to go dull and I haven't seen a chip yet :thumbup:

P.S. go for a nice thin edge, even on the bigger knives. The steel can handle it, the knife will cut well, and just as important, you don't want to be re-sharpening a thick edge with this stuff when it finally does start to dull!

 

[Big Chris]

Thanks guys. These are the biggest blades I have made to date, and two of the choppers are already sold so I would hate to have a failure. I was also hoping that someone would say that the toughness of 3V would allow for the high hardness and thin edges on the large knives.

 

[james terrio]

I was also hoping that someone would say that the toughness of 3V would allow for the high hardness and thin edges on the large knives.

In a word, yes.