CPM 3V- tough in general or just relative to other blade steels?

K

Krissig12

Joined
Sep 11, 2013
Messages
3,121
Hey guys, i dont know if this is the right forum for this, but i just had a question. There wasnt anywhere labeled "steel discussion", so i figured i should ask here

Recently, ive been getting more into the specifics of steels. Ive found that people often regard 3v as probably one of the toughest blade steels on the market. This led me to think, "ok, so why arent they making buildings out of this stuff? And then it occurred to me, maybe the absolutely legendary toughness of this steel is all just relative. Is it only tough when compared to other knife steels (steels that just like 3v, strive for more than just toughness and attempt to achieve good edge retention and other desireable knife characteristics?)

Any steel buffs out there who'd care to enlighten me?
 
CPM-3V is one of the tougher steels, but definitely not the toughest, if you give up more edge holding ability, and hardness you can get even more toughness from steels like S7 and H13 among others (mostly used for swords and very large blades). 3V is good because while it provides a lot of toughness it also can be hardened enough to be useful as a blade steel.

Fig2-toughness.jpg
 
Im not even going to get into the differences in alloys and why you would pick them for a certain application but the cost would be prohibitively expensive to say the least.
 
Aside from the fact that it is probably way too expensive anyway, buildings don't need wear resistance from vanadium carbides. Every application will have its own set of optimal characteristics, which will be met by particular alloys and heat treat protocols. And even that would also be subject to personal preference.

Even in extremely narrow parameters, there isn't an absolute ideal that is always best. Something as narrow as the best steel for an 8" chef knife for me to use in my kitchen would still have multiple answers each with stipulations.

So going from a knife to a building is like going from a sniper scope to a pint glass.
 
All steels in knives are a compromise. In general, edge holding and toughness are at odds with each other. It all depends on what the intended use is. 3V is a good tough steel when used in knives, but it's not very easily welded and far too expensive which makes it undesirable for structures. Nearly all knife steels aren't good for structures. For a good starter on blade steel, go here. For more information, check out the maintenance forum.
 
thanks guys. Im no expert on steels, but i would classify myself as pretty knowledgeable. Ive been soaking up the knowledge of the forums for a while now and i understand all of your points. It was a pretty stupid question i guess, but i just wanted a bit of clarification. And yes, i gathered that it would be prohibitively expensive to use in buildings LOL.:) I was just trying see where 3v fit into everything. It was the one steel that i knew very little about except that it was extremely tough.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top