Knifemaking the Koster Way - FAQ

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
Messages
20,978
I'm going to make this thread a sticky...the idea being that it will be a source for all things knifemaking...at least, the way I do knifemaking.

We'll talk about steel & handle materials...link to tutorials...tips & techniques I use...tools I use and have access to...how I figure my pricing...forging vs stock removal....myths and fables...and so on.

I'll keep this first post updated with all the good stuff.


And I'll count on you guys to help me figure out what needs to go here.

Feel free to ask my any question....yes, ANY question. :thumbup: :thumbup:





So....got any questions? :D

(let's get this thing going!)











Q: What steels do you use and for what purposes? What can I expect from that steel?


O-1
High carbon. Great toughness. Good for small to medium sized knives. Inexpensive. Rusts and tarnishes easily.

5160
Medium carbon. Greater toughness ("springy"). Has chromium - polishes easily and doesn't rust as quickly..but still can. Better on larger/thicker knives. Inexpensive.

1095
High carbon, low alloy steel. Inexpensive. Can be clay-quenched for a hamon line. Can achieve a higher hardness (over 60 HRc). Takes a keen edge and keeps it. Best on knives where hardness and ease of sharpening is most important...kitchen knives...nessmuks.

A2
Very similar to O1, but with 5% chromium...makes it "somewhat stain resistant". Good all-around steel. Moderate in price.

3V
Very tough steel - a true super-steel. At hardened thicknesses over 3/16" it is nearly indestrucible (in knife sizes). Great edge-holding too. Trade-off? Expensive!

W-2
Same as 1095, but with vanadium for better wear-resistance. Has to be forged down from bars. Moderate in price, but takes time/effort to get usable billets for knives.

D2
Large-carbide semi-stainless steel. Best for "toothy-edge" knife needs (cutting rope, draw cuts, etc.) Moderate-high in price. Hard to sharpen - need diamond hones.


CPM D2
Same "recipe" as regular D2...but made in the "CPM way" - which means smaller carbides, more even grain structure. Slightly easier to sharpen, better finish. Med-high price.

S30V
Excellent stainless steel. Med-sized carbides. High carbon. Moderate-high in price. Difficult for some to sharpen - need diamond hones. Best performing stainless for edge-holding.


13C26
New steel from Sandvik (Sweden). Fine grain structure. Stainless. Med-high carbon. Takes a polished keen edge (like 1095/W2). Easier to finish.


CPM154
New take on the old 154CM (aka ATS-34) by Crucible steel. Great overall stainless steel. Easy to sharpen, good edge-holding, easy to polish - great stain-resistance. Finer edge than S30V, but not as fine as 13C26


O1/L6 Damascus
Considered "high-performance" damascus. Can be made with or without nickel. Nickel adds contrast, but decreases performance (imho). I usually have mine made without it...(performance junky). It marries the best of both worlds: O1 for toughness, L6 for fine grain/keen edge. Both by themselves are excellent cutting-competition-quality steels. Sometimes mixing two steels means optimizing for on only. In this case, the two compliment each other. I need to look up my notes from Kevin Cashen for more info....when I do...I'll post it!


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------




From hardest to sharpen (top) to easiest (bottom)

S30V
D2
.
.
3V
A2
O1
1095
5160

________________________________________________________________


Edge holding ability = cutting
(vanadium influences this most)

S30V
3V
CPM154
D2
A2
O1
1095
5160



Edge holding ability = Chopping
(otherwise known as toughness)

3V
5160
A2
O1
1095
S30V
D2
CPM154


_______________________________________________________________


rust resistance:

CPM154
S30V
-
D2
-
-
3V
A2
5160
1095
O1


(from stainless on top, to most likely to rust at bottom)


_________________________________________________________________



Here's a tutorial on how I make my handles:

http://www.kosterknives.com/handletutorial1.htm



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My policy on taking custom orders:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=517174



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Dan, will you work on another maker's/company's knife?



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Standard pricing on patterns - Koster Knives


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Info on submitting orders - calculating prices:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=493474


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Last edited:
I would like to know a little more about the steel in your knives, especially in regards to comparing your damascus versus some of the carbon steels you use. To keep it manageable ( or at least try :) ), maybe address simply what you see or expect in terms of real-world performance--things like edge retention, stain resistance, ideal use for a particular steel given your heat treat, etc.

Thank you!!!
 
did this very thing in another thread...will update this one with the info.

:thumbup:
 
updated this thread to include more info on steel types/qualities "As I See It". ;)
 
How about taking us throught he process for shaping and fitting the handle!!???
 
Great suggestion. :thumbup:


Everytime I think of it...I'm already halfway through the handle process....:foot:


Tell ya what....tommorrow....I'll make a specific note to glue up just one knife for the purpose of creating a tutorial.

Then I'll link the tutorial to this page. Sound good?

Thanks!

Dan
 
just checked out that tutorial very well done. always good to see what the pros do;) thanks
paul
 
I will echo what others have already said -- great tutorial. It actually fully answers a question I asked here on BF a few weeks ago about how to shape handles. Thank you!
 
Found the answer to my W-2, O-1 question here, thanks! So, according to your breakdown in the first post, it looks like O-1 is actually a bit easier to sharpen than 1095/W-2, but at the same time is a bit tougher in holding an edge slightly longer!

At least that's how I read it. I know you also said it's best for smaller blades, but Randall still uses it on their bigger knives as well. I tried Randall's SS option, not sure exactly what kind of steel it is, but IMO it is very difficult to sharpen.


Norm
 
Dan, what I would like is maybe some of your suppliers and tips on using different tools for knife making. Most of us are not professionals and don't have things like a wicked belt sander which seems to be the most common tool among makers. For example when you create a tutorial, you could do it your way and then make suggestions on other ways of doing it without pro tools (grinder, files, sandpaper, jig saw, etc.). I would also love tips on making grind lines even and the mysterious jig you made for the bushcraft scandi grind.
 
Q: Dan, how do you heat treat your blades? Are your heat treating requirements different for the different steels you use?
 
I have a couple questions about 3v, bushcrafter specific.

Does 3v take a patina?
Can the 3v Bushcrafter handle a lot of batoning at 1/8 inch thick?
 
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