High quality steel and sources

N

Nebulae

Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
1,260
Howdy,
I have been observing forum activity for a while and final decided to post. blc of the whole crucible thing.I am asking for any thoughts about super high quality steel, and manufacturers/suppliers, specifically for a large (8") knife. Now I realize that you guys are sick of discussing the "perfect steel" with noobs, but I ask anyway because Crucible materials is being auctioned off sept. 21:mad: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=671326 as manufacturers go I have only seen a couple

http://www.cartech.com/
http://www.hitachi-metals.co.jp/e/prod/prod19/pdf/yss_tool_steels_b.pdf

I have sort of decided on CPM M4 (or equivalent), but if this is not suitable for a larger knife I am open to suggestions.
And as you might have guessed I'm not terribly concerned about price, but a variety of sources should help with that at least a little

oh, and you guys might appreciate this link
http://www.misumiusa.com/CategoryImages/Metric_2006_pdf/METRIC1865-1866.pdf
 
I've seen the McMaster site, and was hoping there would be cheaper alternatives (suppliers not steel)

for regular knife making I'm probably going to stick with 1095, or files, maybe get some O-1 or W-2, but I want maybe one or two really good knives made from M4 or equivalent.

I guess I'm just as fascinated with the metallurgy, as I am with the knives :D
 
Mcmaster is really great resource and has a massive catalog, can get almost any sort of tooling, stock, or small equipment delivered in one day. However they usually are on the pricey side. Since you don't have to worry about time constraints or really specific items, you can probably spend some time researching other suppliers.

Problem is if you're not working on the mass production scale, it can be hard to find small quantities of specific stock. However, if you are willing to settle for more common tool steels like D2 or O1 there are several cheapo sites that pop up on google quickly.
 
You can also make your own M4, as it does not require powder metallurgy. Just add 1.4% carbon, 4.0% chromium, 4.0% vanadium, 5.5% tungsten, and 5.25% molybdenum.
 
HAP-10 of Hitachi is not exactly but quite similar steel to CPM-M4 .

YSS tool steels was not Hitachi in the original. It was Yasugi Hagane until 1934.
 
CPM M-4 is VERY suitable for a big knife.

Most of the cutting competitions are won with big knives made from CPM M-4!
 
thanks guys
Fujita I have seen Yss's hap10 and hap5r but could find no other information on them, (aside from the yss site) and, cant find very many places to buy it.

cotdt: dont know 'bout you but there is no way i could create a m4 myself.
 
Nebulae said:
thanks guys
Fujita I have seen Yss's hap10 and hap5r but could find no other information on them, (aside from the yss site) and, cant find very many places to buy it.
Click to expand...

http://www.hitachi-metals.co.jp/e/prod/prod19/pdf/hsts.pdf

HAP10 looks real good, and quite similar to CPM-M4. However, you would have to speak Japanese and deal directly with Hitachi. They may still refuse to sell it to you, based on what I've heard.
 
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