F2 steel

Larrin

Larrin

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2004
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I'm looking for anyone that can get me some F2. Just about any form is ok, as long as I can get some.
 
Lots of luck....
In 1975 or so, I got a couple of pieces from a Carpenter rep
in Saint Louis. They were extra from a mill run. Since then I've
not been able to find any.
BUT...They will make it for you, if you order 30,000 pounds.
 
Russ Andrews said:
Lots of luck....
In 1975 or so, I got a couple of pieces from a Carpenter rep
in Saint Louis. They were extra from a mill run. Since then I've
not been able to find any.
BUT...They will make it for you, if you order 30,000 pounds.
Click to expand...
Thank for the info, but I was already aware that Carpenter used to make it, and if I had enough money to order 30,000 pounds, I could order it from just about anybody. :)
 
Like Russ said, good luck finding it. Also, be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it, IF you manage to find some. Reason being, F2 is very high in Tungsten, and that stuff costs out the wazoo.
 
Larrin, have you seen this manufacturer cross reference chart?

http://www.varcoprecision.com/tools.htm

Also, have you cross referenced the analysis against Euro standards to see if there's an equivalent? I was sort of surprised the other day when Achim said the domestically uncommon O2 was readily available in Germany.

Just a couple thoughts of where you may find a lead....
 
fitzo said:
Larrin, have you seen this manufacturer cross reference chart?

http://www.varcoprecision.com/tools.htm

Also, have you cross referenced the analysis against Euro standards to see if there's an equivalent? I was sort of surprised the other day when Achim said the domestically uncommon O2 was readily available in Germany.

Just a couple thoughts of where you may find a lead....
Click to expand...
I've seen the chart and found nothing. I can't find a Euro standard but there might be one. O7 is slightly easier to find but F2 is basically non-existant. I've basically exhausted commercial sources and I'm just looking for someone that might still have some. I'm not really looking for a regular source.

As for a regular source of any tungsten containing carbon steel, I'm following a couple leads, the most promising is with Takefu Specialty steel, they have two steels, one with 1.0-1.5% tungsten and one with 2.0-2.5% tungsten.
 
Right now, Chuck Bybee has a supply of a steel which is a modification
of O7.
Roughly 1 % carbon, 6 % tungsten, .18 Vanadium, 1.5 % Chrome,
and .4 Manganese.

He's at Alpha Knife Supply.
 
Russ Andrews said:
Right now, Chuck Bybee has a supply of a steel which is a modification
of O7.
Roughly 1 % carbon, 6 % tungsten, .18 Vanadium, 1.5 % Chrome,
and .4 Manganese.

He's at Alpha Knife Supply.
Click to expand...
I actually have some, that's the closest I have right now. It's double the tungsten of F2, and WAY more than O7. As a side note, since the steel he ordered is supposed to be much closer to O7, I have a suspicion that the spectro-analysis (not sure of the spelling) was off. According to Dick Barber, those things have to calibrated correctly for different types of steels.
 
If you figure out a way to order some of the V special 1 (???) from Takefu, let me know - I've been contemplating trying to get some myself. FWIW - several japanese planemakers use some old F2/O7 like steels with 1.3%C, 1.4%Cr and 6.5%W and another with 1.3%C, 0.7%Cr and 5.6%W which would be in the same ballpark as the numbers posted above. Assuming the numbers for Chuck's steel are accurate.
 
dburnard said:
If you figure out a way to order some of the V special 1 (???) from Takefu, let me know - I've been contemplating trying to get some myself. FWIW - several japanese planemakers use some old F2/O7 like steels with 1.3%C, 1.4%Cr and 6.5%W and another with 1.3%C, 0.7%Cr and 5.6%W which would be in the same ballpark as the numbers posted above. Assuming the numbers for Chuck's steel are accurate.
Click to expand...
It's V-Toku1 that I'm trying to get. It looks like I'll have to buy at least 200 kg, and I'm trying to get it in the thinnest size possible so I can use it in damascus, but it's taken more than one e-mail because of problems in translattion, so I still don't know if I can get it or not.
 
Yep - "Toku" translates as "special" - my attempt to paste in the kanji came out as (???).

I'd be after 2.5-3mm thickness, different than what you want. If your transaction works out I'll at least know it's possible. ;) I'd have the same translation problems. Good luck.
 
dburnard said:
Yep - "Toku" translates as "special" - my attempt to paste in the kanji came out as (???).

I'd be after 2.5-3mm thickness, different than what you want. If your transaction works out I'll at least know it's possible. ;) I'd have the same translation problems. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I wondered what Toku meant. They definitely seem as though they would sell to the U.S. if they like the order. Not near as easy as Crucible of course. It does make me wonder why a supplier doesn't attempt to get VG-10 for sale though.
 
Thanks for you help guys, it look like there isn't anyone that can help me. Obviously, since F2 was never used regularly by knifemakers no one has any on hand.

We talked to Murray Carter today and he said he'll help us with getting Blue Super from Hitachi. We've gotten little pieces here and there from Murray but if we could buy some larger pieces that aren't laminated than that is what we really want. It's not F2, but Blue Super seems to be about the best high wear resistance forging steel out there, and it's also possibly available.
 
Larrin, what i use in my damascus and what we also used in the big block was german 1.2519. This is a steel with 1.1 % C, 1.2 % Cr, 0.2 % V and 1.3 % W (tungsten). In "my" steel mill they make sheets down to 1.5 mm thickness of this steel.

If i would like to have a steel i could not find on the market, i would just melt it on my own and forge it down to the needed size. At least up to 40 pounds this is not a big problem.

Achim
 
AchimW said:
Larrin, what i use in my damascus and what we also used in the big block was german 1.2519. This is a steel with 1.1 % C, 1.2 % Cr, 0.2 % V and 1.3 % W (tungsten). In "my" steel mill they make sheets down to 1.5 mm thickness of this steel.

If i would like to have a steel i could not find on the market, i would just melt it on my own and forge it down to the needed size. At least up to 40 pounds this is not a big problem.

Achim
Click to expand...
And how do I get my hands on some 1.2519? That's actually one of the designations that I was searching for. The only company I found it in was Bestar and they said that they don't have any on hand and that there is a very large minimum order.
 
Hey if you guys need to spread the weight to get an order I'll jump in on some and we can split it up.....Let me know.
 
I'd be interested in your source for 1.2519 as well, thanks in advance.

I'd also go in on a super blue order if it would help.
 
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