Good hardness for a 52100 hunter

R

rockfishbrewery

Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Messages
35
Hello,

Now that my A2 santoku is off for heat treatment, it's time so start the next build. I'm looking at making a 52100 hunting/camping knife using 5/32" stock from Aldo. Also, I plan on sending it to Peters for heat treatment.

After much searching, I am unable to find good information as to what hardness 52100 is good for a hunting/camping knife. There is a lot of information on the heat treating process itself, but no information as to what rc is best for a 52100 hunter. Would 59rc be good, or is that too hard?

Any input you may have would be appreciated.
 
First off I have used 52100 and heat treated it myself so I do not know what RC it was. I can tell you that 59 or 60 is what I would aim for in a hunting knife with 52100.

Bruce
 
58Rc is a good general hardness for almost any good cutlery steel; that just seems to be the sweet spot where edge-retention and toughness are nicely balanced. I do agree that for a knife that's meant for lots of fine cutting tasks, 60Rc will help the knife keep its edge longer.

Err on the high side and test for the desired tasks; if you feel the knife is a little too brittle or "chippy", you may very well be able to temper it back a bit more for better toughness. If you aim low and the thing just won't keep an edge, you have to start the whole HT regimen over.
 
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