Crucible CPM 9V? Anyone use it in a knife?

[Sid Post]

I have been looking at the less popular knife steels to see what alternatives there are to my current favorites.

It would seem that CPM 9V has a lot to offer for people who are looking at steels such as CPM 3V, S90V, 10V, & 15V.

First, let me say that I am by no means a metalurgist so, my amateur attempts to look at Crucibles data sheets are potentially very flawed.

Stainless levels of corrosion resistance are not required as I seem to be able to maintain enough knife care to avoid rust on a good old carbon steel knife and staining (patina, not rust) don't bother me unduly for an honest working knife. I like a knife that cuts well which generally means a steel strong enough to have a thin edge without cracking, chipping, rolling, etc. Wear resistance is a good property as well since I prefer to sharpen between rather long intervals of use.

CPM10V and CPM15V seem to be to extreme for general use so, I have typically stayed with CPM 3V which has served me well. In fact I have a new field knife headed my way now in CPM 3V.

CPM 9V initially appears to have enough toughness to support edge geometries I am used to working with in CPM 3V while offering increased wear resistance.

I completely off base looking at CPM 9V? Who has real world experience with the steel? Anyone know of knifemakers currently using it?

Thanks!

CPM 9V data sheet

 

[Quiet Storm]

The data sheet recommends low - compared to regular high-tech knife steels - Rockwell hardness in order to maintain "maximum toughness and effective stress relieving". While this steel generally seems to be extraordinarily tough (and thus the former probably isn't of utmost importance) at least the latter seems to be essential.

 

[frank k]

Sid,

It dose look promising! From a quick look at the Data sheet, the only thing that I saw which might be a problem is the low harness, as Quiet Storm mentioned. The lower hardness may cause more edge roll under impact or side loading. For a chopping blade I would probably prefer 3V for its higher toughness and hardness. 9V would probably do better for a knife used for a lot of abrasive cutting.



- Frank

 

[Rob Simonich]

One of the problem with some steels such as 9-V is available thicknesses. A lot of these steels arent rolled in thin sheets for knifemaker use. The good thing is there are a lot of new steels to play with!

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Sid Post :

CPM 9V initially appears to have enough toughness to support edge geometries I am used to working with in CPM 3V while offering increased wear resistance.

With a ~6 point drop in RC, the edge holding is going to be significantly lower in general compared to 3V because of the loss of strength. This is the critical factor in determining edge retention on most materials, not wear resistance. The lower strength will also require a thicker edge geometry than 3V and thus a lower cutting ability and a reduction in ease of sharpening.

-Cliff