D2 Chopper

SteelSlaver

SteelSlaver

Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Messages
3,375
Well, Scott Ickes mentioned to me they would be doing some chopping at his BBQ after Blade West. I only have one knife that could be called a chopper and was thinking about another. Anyway having a lot of D2 and not much common sense I profiled this one and an working it up. I know D2 isn't recommended for this size blade,but, I plan to torch the spine a bit with the edge in water and draw it back quite a bit. Comments Jim

Overall 15"
deepest 2"
narrowest 1 1/2"
thickness .20"
 

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Looks like it will be a nice knife. Can't wait to see the finished product.
 
The shape sure looks interesting. I don't think that drawing back D2 will work very well. Deep hardening tool steels are designed to resist attempts at that.
 
The impact toughness peaks around 500. The torsional toughness peaks around 800. Those carbides are doing nothing for you in a chopper and they're decreasing toughness, but I think it is still tougher than stainless (despite some of Crucible's literature to the contrary).

Not the best steel for the application, but what the hell. Speaking from first hand experience, D2 does not fail in a ductile manner, it tends to fail suddenly. Wear sleeves...
 
I will draw the spine back to around 800 then after 3 tempers to 450. I was thinking about the wear resistance and it is an experiment. Besides the piece of steel was just setting there begging me to do it and I couldn't resist.
 
I have a stack of tempsticks. We use them all the time to preheat pipe for welding. You pick one of the temp you want and rub the steel with it as you heat it. I am not sure I have one for 800, but think I do have a 750. It will melt and smear at that temp. I will have a big pan of water with a chunk of koawool in it to keep the edge cool.I will rub a line of 450 tempstick about 1/2" back from the edge and if it goes I will stop. I would rather not get the spine to 800 than losses my edge hardness. I don't plan any torture test for this blade.
 
I certainly don't know anything about heat treating D2 steel, but I can tell you this, my Kershaw Ken Onion Outcast chops like a champ, it has been used, and is made of D2.
 
Well, we will see. I did the spine to 750 with the edge in water and the tip covered with wet Koawoal. I have sanded it to 1200 and the glue is setting up on the scales as we speak.
 
Well, its done, couple photos in the gallery. Now it it just cuts, Oh yea about that slice on my hand. I wasn't even done sanding it and the edge got there and I hit it with the pad below the plam. Lost a hunk of skin a 1/4 wide and an 1" long. What a great place for a hole in your skin.
 
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