I'd be vary about toughness. I'd much rather see it in a knife, because of its abrasion resistance.
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Give me your opinions of these steels being used for an Axe Head.
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I'd be vary about toughness. I'd much rather see it in a knife, because of its abrasion resistance.
4142 seems like relatively low carbon content for an axe doesnt it or am I wrong ?
I think that you're wrong in the way you pose the question,and the reason for why it is wrong is that it's over-simplifying.
It has 40-45 "points" of carbon,which is plenty.But it's not a plain Carbon steel,this steel is a complexly alloyed creature.
https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6677
All those alloying elements don't just each change the qualities of an alloy fairly radically,they also combine with each other in most funky manner.
If anyone bothers to employ this alloy they probably have a very sound reason for it.
And i'm not convinced if they chose to explain it to me personally,in metallurgical terms,that i'd be capable of understanding it completely.
(in general,the deeper one gets into metallurgy,the less sure and categorical any conclusions one comes to ...)
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I think he chose that steel because it is acceptably hardenable and more importantly easily forged:
http://www.pmtsco.com/4142-heat-treated.php
and is relatively easy to harden and temper.
http://diamondmetals.com/4142.html
All these things factor into the total manufacturing cost.
It's not a bad choice for an axe, it's tough and can reach acceptable hardnesses easily. But is has only good wear resistance not great or excellent wear resistance.
I would love to learn what some of our vintage axes are made of. Too bad testing is so expensive.
http://www.pmtsco.com/4142-heat-treated.php
and is relatively easy to harden and temper.
http://diamondmetals.com/4142.html
All these things factor into the total manufacturing cost.
It's not a bad choice for an axe, it's tough and can reach acceptable hardnesses easily. But is has only good wear resistance not great or excellent wear resistance.
I would love to learn what some of our vintage axes are made of. Too bad testing is so expensive.
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I make my living making tomahawks axes and fokos , they're all made of 4140. I started making tomahawks not to make money, but because there was nothing quite the way or quality I was looking for. I, just like many if not all of you, love axes tomahawks and in general sharp things. I would never buy or make a soft piece of crap made of inferior cheap steel. It would be a bad business idea to make pricey custom tomahawks out of bad steel, you might sell a few but people would soon realize they were nothing but axe shaped clubs. I can't speak for every maker out there. I use 4140 because it has proven to me ,through testing, that it is the best. When I started I tested all the steels that come to mind o1 52100 5160 old files 1045 and some others. I used to think if steel didn't have 1 percent carbon, it was crap, I was wrong. I tested 4140, found it was by far the best and never went back. If someone else is using it they probably came to the same conclusion I came to. Axe steel needs to be fatigue resistant, most people only think of abrasion resistance. 4140 is very fatigue resistant, also it gets plenty hard. If someone where to only look at the carbon content that would be a mistake, 4140 also has molybdenum, among other elements. The addition of molybdenum is a big deal, it shouldn't be underestimated. Molybdenum was once in consideration to be a replacement for tungsten, ( to make mill and lathe cutters.) The use of it for cutters didn't go to far because it doesn't retain hardness when it's hot the way tungsten does. It's kind of a drag that 4140 has a negative stigma associated with it because of the thought that its carbon content is low. A maker needs to decide if they will use the correct steel for a job or a steel that people will think is the best steel just to make a sale. High carbon content and high hardness doesn't mean prolonged edge retention in axes. Availability isn't a problem for me . As for easier forging, I don't recall the other steels being more difficult to forge, if they were it wasn't much more. I forge everything with a hammer and anvil, no presses here. The prices of other steels weren't radically higher, I don't recall being shocked by the cost. It has been a while since I've bought other steels. I'm not saying the other steels mentioned are bad for an axe, I am saying 4140 certainly can't be thought of as bad. If someone has had a bad experience with 4140 it probably had a bad heat treat or was tempered at too high a temperature.