Has Spyderco ever used L6 Steel?

nephron

nephron

Joined
Aug 3, 2017
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2,283
I cannot find anytime its been used. With all of the different steels used and still coming up with new ones wondering why it was never used, been out forever and still used in tooling.

L6 Tool Steel​


L6 Tool Steel is a versatile, oil-hardening tool steel that is characterized by very good toughness. L6 tool steel is suitable for use as tools, dies, and machine parts, which require a good combination of hardness and toughness. The relatively high nickel content results in an alloy with greater impact toughness compared to the other common oil-hardening grades.


APPLICATIONS: Punches and dies, cold forming tools, and coining dies.
 
It s about $1300 at well known Knife Sellers.

The Hunter Katana is built on the Hanwei L6/Bainite blade in the Shinogi Zukuri style, and featuring superb koshirae, the Hunter is a very desirable and functional piece. The subdued green silk ito and green striped lacquered saya compliment the blackened tsuba with golden accents, featuring a raptor stalking his next prey.

Bainite is a structure of high-carbon steel that combines great strength with excellent flexibility and shock absorption characteristics. It has been known as an exemplary Katana blade component for a number of years but its use has been restricted to a few top-class master smiths, due to the difficulties involved in performing the exacting heat treatment procedures necessary for the production of a Bainite blade body in combination with the very hard Martensite Yakiba (edge section) required for Katana blades.

Hanwei has now mastered this difficult process, using billets of L6 tool steel (a very tough high-carbon low-alloy steel) as a starting point. Blades are forged and shaped in the normal way, then carefully heat treated to achieve the required Bainite and Martensite structures before final polishing.

Made by Hanwei.
 
nephron said:
I don't see a significant difference in a lot of steels and yet......Its all about money. Something new/different to sell.
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One exception is the Salt series. Rust vs no rust around the ocean is a significant difference. By significant I mean that just about anyone should notice the difference.

I'm sure you are speaking about the pursuit of high edge retention steels. :thumbsup: There are lot of buyers of "special" steels that are "buying an idea." I consider myself an expert sharpener / user / cutter so to me the differences are significant between s30v and my bestie REX-45.
 
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Knibes said:
One exception is the Salt series. Rust vs no rust around the ocean is a significant difference. By significant I mean that just about anyone should notice the difference.

I'm sure you are speaking about the pursuit of high edge retention steels. :thumbsup: There are lot of buyers of "special" steels that are "buying an idea." I consider myself an expert sharpener / user / cutter so to me the differences are significant between s30v and my bestie REX-45.
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Agreed, I kinda took for granted that the application would drive the steel type to a greater or lesser extent. Corrosive environments vs opening the mail/packages vs keeping your fingernails clean. Our economy needs "innovation/improvement" to prosper, there has to be something "better" to engender the need to buy it, this means just about everything including knives. Is it really better, doesn't matter if its perceived as such through marketing.
 
Just me but steel type is secondary for the most part, most knives I buy are for their form. I especially like the Ethnic Series, Euroedge, Early ATR's and about 40 other ones. I admire them for their workmanship, just beautiful, and novelty.
 
L6 was used in saw blades in the US. It's a classic. I have a knife I use in the kitchen made of it. Holds an edge forever, even when abused by my family. Gets a nice rust resistant patina.
 
I have a small custom fixed blade in L6.

L6 is tough, and has decent edge retention. It is not as rust aggressive as some other carbon/tool steels. I'm not an Encyclopedia of all steels. But I've had, and used most of the basics. 52100, 1095, 1080/1065 (most of the 10xx steels).AEBL, CPM154, ats34, 440c, Aus8a, 4116 Krupp, 8cr13mov, Vg10, Vg1,12C27 Mod, 420HC, cpm3v, D2, A2, 15n20, 5160 (and a few other spring steels). And too many other steels to remember.


I'm not sure that L6 is one I would choose for a folder, unless it was just for variety.

KsoaF0u.jpg
 
I have a small wharncliffe neck knife of L6 made for me years ago by a former member of these forums. Haven't seen him around for a few years.

In any case, it's a great utility knife when the cardboard boxes need dispatching. Good stuff, in my limited experience with it.
 
It was Gerber's Iconic Steel at the time of their Mark II/I Daggers, especially the Vietnam one. They went to stainless for cost and complaints(supposedly anyway)of corrosion, mostly cost I think, those L6 command a premium now. I know its not the best or worst steel but with the quest for new steels to come up with to sell I figured it would sell as good as any of the steels similar to it.
 
From what I remember reading about L-6 tool steel is that it was a steel more suited for edged striking tools like axes, hatchets and possibly machetes. I never remember anyone ever telling me that L-6 was a decent blade steel. This I believe would be a good question to pose to Larrin.
 
JD Spydo said:
From what I remember reading about L-6 tool steel is that it was a steel more suited for edged striking tools like axes, hatchets and possibly machetes. I never remember anyone ever telling me that L-6 was a decent blade steel. This I believe would be a good question to pose to Larrin.
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I've been told by 4 knifemakers that L6 is a good steel for knives and have a knife in my kitchen to prove it :) In logging country old saw blades are L6 and as scrap are a good source of fine cutlery steel. My knife was handmade by an Amishman, MO walnut scales, with copper harness rivets to hold them on.
 
brownshoe said:
I've been told by 4 knifemakers that L6 is a good steel for knives and have a knife in my kitchen to prove it :) In logging country old saw blades are L6 and as scrap are a good source of fine cutlery steel. My knife was handmade by an Amishman, MO walnut scales, with copper harness rivets to hold them on.
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That's interesting. That's the first person to hear speak that highly of it. However that old article I remember reading in one of the old BLADE magazines was from way back in the mid 90s if my memory is correct. I probably still have it. There are several tool steels that do make good steels for cutlery. I just never heard that one being bragged about before.

I've also had a couple of friend really talk highly of O-1>> but I've heard it's like D-2 in that it is really tricky to properly heat treat. I think that's true of a lot of tool steels from what I've gathered over the years.

Yeah Spyderco even did that one Bushcraft fixed blade with O-1. I kind of wish I would have tried one of those.
 
JD Spydo said:
That's interesting. That's the first person to hear speak that highly of it. However that old article I remember reading in one of the old BLADE magazines was from way back in the mid 90s if my memory is correct. I probably still have it. There are several tool steels that do make good steels for cutlery. I just never heard that one being bragged about before.

I've also had a couple of friend really talk highly of O-1>> but I've heard it's like D-2 in that it is really tricky to properly heat treat. I think that's true of a lot of tool steels from what I've gathered over the years.

Yeah Spyderco even did that one Bushcraft fixed blade with O-1. I kind of wish I would have tried one of those.
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I have a Sunfish Forge in O1 with a convex edge, no bevel. Cuts like a demon and at Rc 61 holds an edge for a long time.
 
One of the custom makers used L6 in the Eugene Cutting Competition about 10 years ago. It performed quite well.

sal
 
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