m-2

M

magnum .44

Joined
Jun 12, 1999
Messages
1,110
does anyone know where to buy m-2 in knifemaking lengths. is it expensive? do you have experiece with it?
 
m2 is very very good steel...it is used in the woodworking industry for planer blades and shaper knives almost exclusively...takes an excellent edge....it is touted as one step up from d2 by the guys who sell it... you can buy it from the shaper knife companies in any length width and thickness you want...precision ground...since i dont do any work on these things any more i cant help you any further....but if you go to a search engine and look for wood working tools you will be on your way...

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
`have been trying to think of some...but id do a seach under woodworking...shaper knives or planer blades...should come up with plenty of sources...lots of companies make these things.....wisconsin knife works is one i think.....there are several companies in germany that make planer blades too....

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
How does M2 compare with ATS-34? From what you say regarding M2 and D2, I assume M2 is a superior grade of steel. Is that correct?
 
well, m-2 is a tool steel, used in the making of lathe tools, and other high speed steel tools. it's better in edge holding than ats-34 because of the 6% tungsten in it, and this is an important element in knife steel to me, also cobalt, chromium, carbon, molybendenum, and vanadium are very important to me. i do plan on using ATS-34 in the future though. d-2 is the next step down in quality, becuase it doesn't have tungsten.
 
M2 is a high speed tool steel used in making tools that must retain their hardness at very high temperatures. It has very little resistance to corrosion and is usually blued or similiar to help prevent rust. HSS drill bits are often made from M2 steel. I believe the working hardness for such cutting tools is around RC64-65.

To compare D2 and M2 one must consider the use to which the tool will be put. The main consideration would be do I need high ardness at high temp? Corrosion resistance? D2 has significantly better corrosion resistance than m2.

M2 tends to break under lateral stress much quicker than D2 - try this on one of your drill bits. For this reason knives made from M2 are usually tempered down to about RC60-61.

M2 will take a very nice edge and can be polished out to a high finish. I have a large plate of M2 standing behind my bench in the shop, but I haven't gotten around to making any knives out of it yet. I'm still wondering what I'm gonna use as a blade coating to keep the rust down. I have Kalguard ( now it's called Guncoat sp?) and have been testing that and like the way it looks.

I wouldn't use M2 to make any really large knives because of it's lack of shock resistance.

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www.wilkins-knives.com


 
thanks for the advice, i planned on making a 7" knife, with a 3" blade, a parring knife for mom. where did you buy the plate?
 
Hi Magnum .44,

I bought the M2 plate from Robert Zapp Steel in Germany - but the steel came from France. In the USA you might try:
http://www.bohlersteel.com/welcomeus.html

I think they carry HSS steels, but I don't know what they have a minimum order.

All they best!

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www.wilkins-knives.com


 
Magnum.44,

I haven't yet tried to grind M2, but it should not be too much trouble. Should grind MUCH easier than say CPM420V. Heat treating HSS steel is tricky and should be done by a professional heat treater. But on the positive side, once the knives are hardened and tempered, you don't have to worry as much about them getting a bit warm during the final grinding.... :-)

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www.wilkins-knives.com


 
i finally found it the size i wanted, thanks for the advice, do you know a professional heat treater? if not i'll just send it to rob with precise instructions.
thanks
 
ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING: MANY of these companies sell m2 to guys for planer knives and shaper knives and it is already hard.. and i mean hard....so check that out....also like someone said above....you look at it and it rusts......i wound find something else to use....like d2....

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
walt,
thanks for the tip, i found onlinemetals.com, you should give it a try, it's practically the same thing, with a few small differences.
 
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