How hard are BG-42 and CPM-3V on belts?

S

Sid Post

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Oct 14, 1998
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How much harder on belts is BG-42 then ATS-34? Should a knifemaker who has never worked BG-42 expect to use more belts?

How about CPM-3V? Is it hard on belts? What does it compare to?

Thanks!
 
hello sid.i work with BG_42 ouite a bit over over the lasts two years and ATS_34 was my mainstay before. bg-42 is more machinable than ATS-34. takes a nicer polish and is more stain resistan and is very easy fom me to put a edge on that cuts and cuts. haven't worked with the cpm 3v.
norton ceramic belts and the norax belts seem to work about the same on ats-34,440c and bg-42. hope this helps.
 
I've used BG-42 for the last year and a half and used mostly D2 before that. I find BG-42 easier to grind than D2 when annealed. The nice thing about BG-42 is that you can finish the knife totally before heat treating an d the last touch up after is easierr because BG-42 holds its hardness even at a high heat. I think BG-42 makes a great knife!
 
Yea, I agree. I think BG-42 is all around quite a bit nicer than ATS-34. I feel like it grinds easier and is easier to hand sand.

3V is a completely different beast. It will wear you out grinding on it, but it is an amazingly tough steel that really holds an edge.

These are both steels I will continue to use even though nearly all of my blades I'm forging now.

Best of luck :)
Nick
 
I agree with the statements about CPM3V. I ground a blade out of 3V and heat treated it according to Crucible's specs. Ran out of time before doing the 3rd 2 hour temper. Took the blade home and started to finish grind on it. No fun at all! A fairly new 50 grit belt was barely taking the colors off the blade. Sent the blade down to Bailey Bradshaw(who has a Rockwell tester), and Bailey said my blade was still 62-63! This was after 2 tempers at 950 for 2 hours each time. Bailey did another 2 hour temper for me and then Rockwelled again. Finally, after the third temper, the blade is exactly 60 Rockwell. But, it's still no fun to grind on.

I really like 3V though, and will continue to work with it. Just gotta be more patient with it. I have tested this blade of mine by chopping into cedar 4x4s and twisting as I pull the blade out. No damage or edge deformation whatsoever.
 
Look at it this way; I do. After doing about 20-30 CPM-3V or S30V blades, grinding on something else becomes a lot more enjoyable than it had been. Generally, you will find the tougher steels just need coarser belts to achieve the same thing. What you might do with a 220 grit on ATS-34, works about the same with a 120 grit belt on 3V. S30V is more difficult to work IMO.
 
I had heard such horror stories about BG42, being a monster to grind and cut, that when I first tried it, I ran the bandsaw blade 1" into my push stick, before I realized it.
I not only sawed very easy, but was extremely easy to grind. So much so, that I thought the supplier had sent me the wrong material. I ended up sending it to Latrobe for analysis/confirmation, that it was indeed BG42.
It is indeed much easier than ATS34, or 440C to saw/grind.
On the CPM, I have no first hand experience yet.
 
154CM, ATS, BG-42, A2, all feel the same to me. D2 seems a bit more gummy on belts. CPM3V is quite a bit different, takes longer, and uses belts.. With ceramic belts they all come around though..

Take Care
Trace Rinaldi
www.thrblades.com
 
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