Getting Started

IMWILSON said:
Ok, what's the story on the small cleaver looking blade?
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I missed this but wasn't sure on the final grind for the mini cleaver, sorry it took me so long to get back.

I just ground it again tonight, it has a cool swedge and tip. I think it has 5 grinds total. Pics later, I just got in from working on it and need to clean it up.

I also have the D2 tanto much closer, it is looking great! I also got to work on the big S7 chopper, it is almost fully ground as well. The reverse tanto is pretty much finished up, I need photos.
 
Dunno much about metallurgy, but have read that D-2 is closest to stainless ? when it comes to corrosion resistance.....and one of the finest @ holding an edge, and one of the toughest.

My only D-2 piece is a Knives Of Alaska 'Bush Knife' with ~6" blade, black rubberized handles, and a ? coated blade, to cut glare. It is, as Ankerson says: air-bleeding sharp.

But then I come over here, and hear about S-7.....
 
Gnarly said:
Dunno much about metallurgy, but have read that D-2 is closest to stainless ? when it comes to corrosion resistance.....and one of the finest @ holding an edge, and one of the toughest.

My only D-2 piece is a Knives Of Alaska 'Bush Knife' with ~6" blade, black rubberized handles, and a ? coated blade, to cut glare. It is, as Ankerson says: air-bleeding sharp.

But then I come over here, and hear about S-7.....
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That's right, D2 is known as a semi-stainless. If i recall correctly stainless is any steel with 13% chromium content and D2 has 12%. I noticed it didn't rust at all when I was grinding it. The edge holding is about as good as it gets and the toughness is pretty darn good... better than most steels. It must be tough stuff to be used in industrial dies all day. Great steel!
 
Hey guys, here's what Crucible Industries says about D-2....
a high carbon, high chromium heat treatable tool steel intended for applications requiring high wear resistance.
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Typical Chemistry
Carbon 1.55%
Manganese 0.35%
Silicon 0.45%
Chromium 11.50%
Molybdenum 0.90%
Vanadium 0.80%
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and what Crucible says about S-7......
Crucible S7 is a shock-resistant air hardening tool steel, designed for high impact resistance at relatively high hardness. It offers toughness to withstand chipping and breaking, combined with high attainable hardness and good wear resistance.
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Typical Chemistry
Carbon 0.55%
Manganese 0.70%
Silicon 0.35%
Chromium 3.25%
Molybdenum 1.40%
Vanadium 0.25%
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Here's a link to Crucible's website. http://www.crucibleservice.com/eSelector.htm

Lots of info if you like this kind of stuff,which I do!! :D
 
Starting to get excited about getting my hands on some D2. I have a tanto in A2 that I am pretty impressed with in edge retention and am very curious how the D2 compares. Although I think it is going to be tough to convince me that 1095 is not the best carbon steel :).

Kaleb
 
Daniel Fairly Knives said:
Thanks for posting that! Crucible has a lot of great info and makes some top notch steel.
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No problem. I've got a "book" from Crucible that I've had for about 10 years. It's basicly the info they now have on their
website. Lots of info, still comes in handy from time to time.
 
C.Grage said:
Is the S7 more difficult to shape/grind that the D2? or about the same?
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The D2 seems to really eat up the finishing belts and it was tougher to grind overall as well. It was super tough to remove any scratches so you know the wear resistance is great.

theflyingplatypus said:
Starting to get excited about getting my hands on some D2. I have a tanto in A2 that I am pretty impressed with in edge retention and am very curious how the D2 compares. Although I think it is going to be tough to convince me that 1095 is not the best carbon steel :).

Kaleb
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The D2 should have better wear resistance so it should have even better edge retention.

Tempering is so important, you can really change the properties that way. S7 is a great example, if you tempered it according to most (industrial) charts it wouldn't hold much of an edge but when you drop the temper temperature down to 400F you will have a steel that is harder than most swords (so better wear resistance) and MUCH tougher.

Great point about the 1095, it is great stuff and can be made to do almost anything. High heat temper = machete; low heat/or no temper = a file!

1084 steel won the W&SS challenge. The specs on paper aren't exactly mind blowing but after working with the stuff I can see why. It is made to very high specs and heat treats very well. 1084 has all the carbon it needs too, I can't explain it very well but any more than .084% carbon gets "displaced."

Heat treat is everything, that's why I have a digitally controlled kiln, 11 second and 28 second engineered quench oils, aluminum plates and tool wrap. The D2 has to soak at 1825F for 30 minutes to reach full potential... I couldn't do that without a lot of control.

I'm a steel junky and only the right heatt treat does it for me, lol!!!
 
IMWILSON said:
No problem. I've got a "book" from Crucible that I've had for about 10 years. It's basicly the info they now have on their
website. Lots of info, still comes in handy from time to time.
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I am always lurking on their site. I swear if I ever get rich I'll have them make me a run of high spec CPM 5160 if such a thing is possible!
 
They are one of the best, if not the best, manufacturer of tool steels in the U.S. Would be cool to get a special run
from them.
 
IMWILSON said:
They are one of the best, if not the best, manufacturer of tool steels in the U.S. Would be cool to get a special run
from them.
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Yes they have the very best, I have seen some videos of their process and it is a very high tech facility. :cool: A run would be too cool! For now Aldo at NJ Steel Baron has top notch steels made to high specs so I try to get a lot of steel from him.
 
D2 - .315 thick and glides effortlessly through paper.
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