Got my 3/32 X 1 X 36 inch bar of s30v last week. It actually measures 0.121 X 1.225 inch. I was told by Bruce at Crucible it would be a bit over sized. He did not stretch the facts.
The bar came looking as if it had not been ground, with a brownish finish as if it might look after cooling after being rolled. Not a problem since it had to be ground by me to the thickness I wanted. Grinding the length of steel I cut for a blade seemed time consuming. I took it down to aprox. 0.098 inch with a 4 X 36 alum. oxide belt. I spent a lot of that time keeping the thickness consistent and, as a result, did a lot of measurements. It ground rather well though.
Profiling the blade was rather easy by comparison. Not enough difference for me to tell from ATS-34. O1 may have been easier, maybe.
Flat grinding was a dream. I have gained experience since grinding O1 so I can not make a comparison to it. It ground not at all harder than ATS-34 and perhaps easier. The grain seems very small if judged by grinding marks. Four hundred grit looks good, much better than I have experienced with my last blades of ATS-34.
I decided, after studying their sheets and other things, to austenitize the little 6 3/4 inch bird & trout (0.020 edge) at 1975 F. for 20 min.. I equalized at 1575 F. for 8 min. while on the way up to the austenitize temp.. After cooling, I emmediately snap tempered at 400 F. for 2 hr.. Then dry ice aged for aprox. 24 hr. (the life of the ice), followed by a 570 F. temper for 2 hr.; then, after cooling, a final temper at 570 F. for 2 hr. 20 min..
(foil was used for the austenitizing)
Removing the discolorization with the 1 inch 400 grit oxide belt was like wiping milk off your mouth. One pass took about 80 percent away, leaving shiny 400 grit steel. I finished belt grinding with 600 grit.
So far I am pleased. A triangle file in the 1/4 inch tang holes skips all over the place. I can't check the edge until the knife is finished (tired of stitching myself up with band aids).
Thanks to recent posts by Rhino and L6 for swaying me toward the s30v. I am glad I am trying it regardless of its seemingly excessive cost.
Roger
The bar came looking as if it had not been ground, with a brownish finish as if it might look after cooling after being rolled. Not a problem since it had to be ground by me to the thickness I wanted. Grinding the length of steel I cut for a blade seemed time consuming. I took it down to aprox. 0.098 inch with a 4 X 36 alum. oxide belt. I spent a lot of that time keeping the thickness consistent and, as a result, did a lot of measurements. It ground rather well though.
Profiling the blade was rather easy by comparison. Not enough difference for me to tell from ATS-34. O1 may have been easier, maybe.
Flat grinding was a dream. I have gained experience since grinding O1 so I can not make a comparison to it. It ground not at all harder than ATS-34 and perhaps easier. The grain seems very small if judged by grinding marks. Four hundred grit looks good, much better than I have experienced with my last blades of ATS-34.
I decided, after studying their sheets and other things, to austenitize the little 6 3/4 inch bird & trout (0.020 edge) at 1975 F. for 20 min.. I equalized at 1575 F. for 8 min. while on the way up to the austenitize temp.. After cooling, I emmediately snap tempered at 400 F. for 2 hr.. Then dry ice aged for aprox. 24 hr. (the life of the ice), followed by a 570 F. temper for 2 hr.; then, after cooling, a final temper at 570 F. for 2 hr. 20 min..
(foil was used for the austenitizing)
Removing the discolorization with the 1 inch 400 grit oxide belt was like wiping milk off your mouth. One pass took about 80 percent away, leaving shiny 400 grit steel. I finished belt grinding with 600 grit.
So far I am pleased. A triangle file in the 1/4 inch tang holes skips all over the place. I can't check the edge until the knife is finished (tired of stitching myself up with band aids).
Thanks to recent posts by Rhino and L6 for swaying me toward the s30v. I am glad I am trying it regardless of its seemingly excessive cost.
Roger
