I am making a knife and wondering d2 or1095

L

Lukers

Joined
Jul 17, 1999
Messages
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I am trying to decide whether to use d2 or 1095. I am having newt livesay grind and temper it and i was going to do all the finish work(handle, blade finish, sheath,etc) I guess i am kinda making it but not really. But anyway, I was wondering if you guys have had experience with d2? Is it noticeable better with edge holding and toughness? your comments would be much appreciated. By the knife was modeled after the busse steel heart. i decided to take a shot at drawing it. It is about an inch and a half longer than with same handle shape and blade shape.
thanks
Luke
 
Luke,

I'm going to shoot your thread over to the
Shop Talk Forum where most of the guys with knifemaking experience hang out. I'm sure they'll provide you with the solid counsel, advice, and wisdom you seek
smile.gif
!

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-=[Bob Allman]=-

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BFC member since the very beginning
AKTI membership pending
VHA and NRA member

 
bald1
Thanks very much for transfering this. But at first when i saw the thread for this was closed i got freaked cause i thought i offended someone and it got blocked.hehe
Thanks a bunch.and if anyone can help me out here, i would appreciate it a ton!
luke
 
This is very interesting. I contacted Newt a few months ago about kit blades and he said he absolutely did not make them under any circumstances. He was adamant about not being in total control of the quality. Guess he's had a change of heart, eh? That said, go with D-2. It is a great steel that is close to stainless but retains all the nice qualities of carbon steels.

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I would use 1095 for a few reasons-

Cheaper than D-2, Easier to grind than D-2, You can heat treat it yourelf with very little practice and equipment.

D-2 is great but personally as a beginner i chose 1095 and am EXTREMELY pleased with the results. I tried D-2 and was also pleased, but i kinda like the "sole authorship" thing, therefore being able to heat treat my own steel is a big deal.

Either is good, just depends on what your priorities are.
 
I've gotten great results with D2 in the past, but I've had the heat treat done by Paul Bos. Don't know how the Newt does his treat so I can't vouch.
Chiro75 is right about D2 being almost stainless but retaining all the great properties of straight carbons.
Given the choice between the two, I'd go with the D2.

BUT! 1095 is quite good too, and it has been used a LOT longer (I think we're talking centuries here) than D2. So, it's a VERY proven performer.

Just a little food for thought.
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If someone else does the cutting, grinding, and drilling I'd suggest going with the D2. It will give you an outstanding working knife. The finish on D2 is generally not as refined as some other alloys, but it will give you a very tough blade.

The only advantage I can think of for 1095 is that it might get a little sharper and be easier to restore that extra bit sharper when it dulls. The 1095 will dull a lot faster than D2, but it is a lot easier to sharpen.
 
thanks guys!
This helps a ton. I would say i would probably go with 1095. I bet it will be more costly with d2 to grind and all. 1095 is what all my other "user" knives are. Thanks for all the imput.
Luke
P.s. Newt does custom knives but he is doing just grinding and tempering..i plan on finishing it. so he is custom grinding...i could probably temper it myself but what the heck.
by the way.....how do you fella's diff. temp? thanks
 
I think Newt L. works mostly with 1095, so if he's gonna grind and most importantly heat treat the blade, I'dgo with 1095. He seems to get really nice results from his heat treating of 1095 and since D2 requires more complicated processing than 1095 certainly make sure he's set up to handle it.

The most critical step in knife making is the heat treatment of the blade. A 1095 knife properly done will be a better knife than D2 with bad heat treatment.

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www.wilkins-knives.com


 
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