Cru Forge V hamon?

robloveday

robloveday

Joined
Jul 19, 2008
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I was just wondering if anyone out there knew if you could get a good hamon on the new Cru Forge V. I've heard that it's similar to W-2 which is great for hamon. I'd appreciate all your insight. Thanks
 
It's supposed to be a deep-hardening steel; so getting hamon would be challenging.
 
I will be clay coating and heat treating one in the next few days. I will try to keep you posted. I fear that it will probably react like 5160 or O1 to a hamon, a nondistinct cloudy area, but we will see.
 
Definitely keep us posted. I'm getting a shipment on friday and with any luck will be forging some blades Saturday.
 
robloveday said:
I was just wondering if anyone out there knew if you could get a good hamon on the new Cru Forge V. I've heard that it's similar to W-2 which is great for hamon. I'd appreciate all your insight. Thanks
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This is a rumor that I've been trying to set right. Cru V is a very good steel but nothing like W2.
 
CruForgeV is about as similar to W2, as John Wayne is to Tiny Tim.....


All four do havesome carbon though.....

Post note.....No....W2 is nothing like Tiny Tim.........
 
Bailey Knives said:
I will be clay coating and heat treating one in the next few days. I will try to keep you posted. I fear that it will probably react like 5160 or O1 to a hamon, a nondistinct cloudy area, but we will see.
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Hi Matthew,

Sorry to dredge up this old thread, but how did your experiment with claying Cru Forge turn out?

I'd gather, like Karl says, that there's enough alloying elements that you didn't get a distinct hamon?

Did you try thermal cycling it? With as much vandium as it has, it probably makes for fantastic alloy banding.
 
I clay coated a cru forge knife I made just to see and you are right about the hamon being like 5160. Too deep a hardening steel, its a great shop knife but not that great of a quench line......maybe you will get better results. I haven't been overly impressed with the steel ...steve
 
Hi Steve - could you tell us what you don't care for about Cru-Forge? I've found it to be a bear to hand sand, but that also gives one an idea of the wear resistance. As far as fairly simple steels go, I'd take it over 10xx, 5160, O1 and the like. Air hardening steels, however, are a different story.
 
AcridSaint said:
Hi Steve - could you tell us what you don't care for about Cru-Forge? I've found it to be a bear to hand sand, but that also gives one an idea of the wear resistance.
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I'm a big fan of vanadium. I'd love to try Cru-Forge but I can only find it in 1/4" stock, and I don't make many knives that thick. Anyone want to forge some down to 5/32" or so for me? :D
 
AcridSaint said:
Hi Steve - could you tell us what you don't care for about Cru-Forge? I've found it to be a bear to hand sand, but that also gives one an idea of the wear resistance.
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I'm just a newbie, but was assuming the same thing (which is why I just bought some) -- if you're not wanting a hamon, Cru Forge seems ideal? Easy to forge, very high wear resistance, easy to heat treat?
 
I have made more than a few knives with Cru Forge V. If your looking for a DH3 hamon, forget it. If you want to get a mirror polish easy, forget it. If you want a knife that can be heat treated easier than O-1 and simular type steels this is your steel. I have used Parks AAA, Parks 50 and McMaster carr oil and all 3 worked very well. I have tested to destruction at least two dozen knives both hunters and choppers and have been very happy with what I found. This steel has awsome wear resistance. I have a customer that does not hunt at all but is in the land scaping business and uses his Cru forge V knife everyday cutting everything possible. Karl Andersen confirmed my what i found in that you can get a real nice satin finish with 220 to 320 grit hand sanding sanding. I have belt finished at 400 grit and then used a blue scotch brite belt and had a excellent finish results.
I dont mean for this to be a sermon and i apoligize if it sounds like it is. Also I am not posting just because I am selling some of what I have I am just reporting what I have found. This is a real nice steel to use. Matthew Gregory has used it alot and everything I have read from him backs up my findings. Like i said, very good steel.
 
Lazlo, I did heat treat it with a clay quench, which I am sure is not how the steel was designed. It responded about like 5160, had a cloudy transition area, but no real hamon. It was a bear to hand sand, must have been that elevated wear resistance, but cut like the dickens. It really is great steel, easy to heat treat and forge, but I am on the eternal quest for the perfect hamon, so I haven't used it lately.
 
This is off topic and Im sorry but Id like to add one of the nicest hamons Ive ever seen came from a knife forged from a railroad spring clip. Which tested out to be 1055..
 
Kentucky said:
This is off topic and Im sorry but Id like to add one of the nicest hamons Ive ever seen came from a knife forged from a railroad spring clip. Which tested out to be 1055..
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Not really off topic. Manganese is the primary hamon killer, but if the carbon is low enough, like 1050-1060 (even though it's high Mn) you can get a very active hamon. Manganese, chromium and vanadium in excess all make for deep hardening.

I prefer to go the other direction, high carbon, but with low manganese, shallow hardening. W2, 1086M, W1 and 1095. W2 being my favorite by far. High performance with crazy active hamon. :)
 
I don't hate the steel it dose hold up very good . It is just harder to get a good hand sand finish on the blade and it is more pricey than other comparable steels.I also thought a little tougher to forge. for smaller hunter type knives it's fine I just prefer 1084 and 5160 for larger knives maybe i am just more comfortable with those steels. Steve
 
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