CTS B75p powdered dinosaur steel?

DeadboxHero

DeadboxHero

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Mar 22, 2014
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I've been reading a lot about Latrobes BG42 stainless bearing steel.
It was before my time.

Everyone holds it with very high regard, seems like it was outed because of poor relations with Latrobe not inferior product.

I remember that science in Jurrassic Park when they were able to extract the dino DNA from mosquitoes in the amber.

"Clever girl"

BG42 is back as CTS B75P powdered steel but not much fanfare

how does it compare to today's mid range steels like CPM 154, CPM S35vn and CTS XHP?

Does it take the best edge?

From reading old thread that seemed to be the impression I gathered about why bg42 was so beloved.

Anyone in the know?
 
Originally a bearing steel and like some others made a fine blade. But there's no miracle steel and we have lots of fine steels to choose from.
What ever steels are being made has to have a market .That and some company directions caused the breakup of Timken and Latrobe and the dropping of BG42.
 
mete said:
Originally a bearing steel and like some others made a fine blade. But there's no miracle steel and we have lots of fine steels to choose from.
What ever steels are being made has to have a market .That and some company directions caused the breakup of Timken and Latrobe and the dropping of BG42.
Click to expand...

Yeah, your correct, theres no miracle steel, and yea there is some amazing cultery steel today, but there are steels that ride that line with ease of sharpening and wear resistance.

I've been on a quest to find that stainless steel that pushes those boundaries

Mete, your the Metal Guru

Would you say that CTS b75p could hit that sweet spot between CPM 154 and CPM s35vn?

Thanks man, you've always been super helpful and really increased my knowledge and love for cultery.

-Shawn
 
To make a serious comment I would have to have had and used the blade .My EDc test is to carry for a year ! My hunting knife I do a couple of deer . Tests like these Take time but tell much more than just a bit about the steel. For example I took a TK1 Fallkniven and found poor balance so I asked Nathan to skeletonize the tang .Now it's my favorite hunting knife .
I have a CPM 154 and a CPM S35VN [my favorite of all ] for the steel but unfortunately I've never had a CTS b75p so can't give a good opinion .Too many steels,not enough things to cut. From the chemistry it must be close to S35VN.
 
Too many good steels indeed.

I hope more makers pick up the steel.

Really looks to really hit that sweet spot for sharpening



 
The charts don't tell everything Hardness makes a big difference and then there's ease of sharpening etc.
 
I missed the B75P, but thought I would mention that Spyderco still has the B70P mule (MT20) available. I've used it as a utility blade around the house since they came out and have been very happy with it. Not the same as B75P, but it's a next gen PM version of CRB-7 and may be in the same general class you are interested in.
 
I wonder if the aerospace industry is eating up all the b75p like they did with bg42
 
I carry (most days) a ZT0600 with B75P blade steel, and I really like it. I'm not a really hard user, but it seems to hold the edge really well.
 
Apophis said:
I missed the B75P, but thought I would mention that Spyderco still has the B70P mule (MT20) available. I've used it as a utility blade around the house since they came out and have been very happy with it. Not the same as B75P, but it's a next gen PM version of CRB-7 and may be in the same general class you are interested in.
Click to expand...

Nice, never heard of it, I'll look it up

scottabrandeberry said:
I carry (most days) a ZT0600 with B75P blade steel, and I really like it. I'm not a really hard user, but it seems to hold the edge really well.
Click to expand...
Cool, any pics?
 
Am I the only one disappointed that this thread isn't about a steel made with powdered dinosaur bones? :D
 
Back when BG42 was most popular there weren't many good stainless steels that made good blades. In the past decade A LOT have come out. It's not a bad steel now, but it's simply not sitting alone at the top of a very small hill like it was.
 
BG42 is still a top performing cutlery steel IMO. Look to the Buck 110 drop point currently on the market and try it and see if it isn't a knife performing on par with modern powder steels best as I can tell from my experience so far. I only have one CTS B75 knife and don't have as much experience with it as I do with BG42. My feeling is it has as much or more potential as BG42 does and if the time was spent tuning a heat treat for it like makers did for BG42 than it would be popular. This class of steel ( moly/vanadium) high speed corrosion resistant bearing steel can be heat treated differently for a large difference in results. CPM 154/154cm is similar in that respect. High and low( tempers) alone along with cryo can make large differences, then throw in the other differences in time and temp. at hardening and everything changes including things like corrosion resistance, wear resistance, toughness. M2 and M4 also share this trait.

So, It's too early to tell but my guess is the other steels like S30V/35Vn are too entrenched to see any large inroads in the market now. Like BG42, they probably don't need the cutlery industry to sell train loads of it.
 
Mastiff, is there anything profound about cts B75p?

Given an equal heat treatment, does it offer anything that CPM 154 and CPM S35vn can't?

Does it offer
 
I don't think of it as profound. It is a well rounded steel falling between CPM 154 and S35VN/S30V in pure abrasive wear resistance. In my case it seemed like it was finer grained than BG42 parent steel just like I thought CPM D2 was compared to regular D2. It should be a bit tougher and have some better performance at the edge than the parent steel just like CPM 154 vs. 154cm but I haven't had enough experience with it to actually see it.

I don't know of anybody using it enough to have developed a tuned heat treat like was done by Buck or Chris Reeve with their BG42 or S30V . I can tell a difference in their steel vs. Benchmade or Spyderco, for instance.

It seems like I can anyways. Some would say that is impossible and my imagination (Cliff Stamp).

I like BG42 better than S30V even though S30V has higher abrasive wear resistance. I'd expect I would get along with CTS B75p but wouldn't go so far to say it ( or any other) is a better steel. I just have preferred steels in different categories. Whatever balance of attributes is best for whatever I'm expecting to do is my favorite steel at the time. If I was forced to pick one only it would be 3V or Cruwear/Zwear/PD#1

joe
 
Eugene @ Olamic did a run of Wayfarer folders in CTS B75p and mine is one of them:

16861411510_be4c655e1a_o.jpg


16862721289_5affd287ef_o.jpg


I've had her for a little over a year and the CTS B75p holds an edge very well. All it takes is a few strokes on a ceramic hone and its good to go again.
I usually also carry a Ferrum Forge blade in either 4V, M390, or N690, and the Wayfarer stays sharp as long as the M390 does.
 
BG 42, and eventually BG 43 were Lew Booth's favorite steels in the
early 70's. The powdered version (B75P) should make a terrific blade...!!

Wondering where the graph came from..?
CPM 154 has no Tungsten or Vanadium....


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