Need some advice on an unknown blade steel (to me )

[Allen R.]

So I was visiting a knife store tonight, (met a great bladeforums member too, and they sell these neck knives , they are made by hatchett cutlery or hatchett custom knives , something along that line , but I can't find any info on the guy online, I just know his name is hatchett. Anyhow he makes beautiful neck knives, I mean these knives look like murray carters neck knives but are a 3rd or 4th the cost, They are super thin Super sharp , Light and just fit your hand like a glove. Anyways I passed on one last night that was made out of 52100 steel, so it ate at me all night and I went back to the knife store tonight to get the knife and the one I want is made of L-6 steel, now I have never heard of this steel and I know nothing about it , any help on it would be greatly appreciated, the rockwell on them is between 58-60 rc for both the 52100 ones and the l-6 knives, both from this hatchett whatever company, I mean the knives are truly beautiful apparently the guy is from Alabama and each knife is hand made, but without any knowledge of this steel I will not purchase the knife, So if anyone can give me some details on it I would appreciate it. The guy at the knife store said that the man makes some blades from saws I believe but not really sure. So if anyone could tell me about , Edge retention, corrosion resistance, just all the usual details a knife nut needs to know about steel I would appreciate it . Thanks in advance. Also FWIW The knives edge is MAYBE 3 inches long and the blade thickness is 2mm possibly thinner.

 

[Evan8523]

Sounds like it has a decent heat treat. Its probably a tool steel, meaning decent edge retention and fairly easy sharping. You might just have to watch out for rust. If you like the knife, buy it. The steel cant be that bad.

 

[Allen R.]

I've heard its made from salvaged saw blades but I dunno, The knives are only $110 bucks , But I still want to know some more about it before I drop the cash

 

[R.c.s]

L6 is a tool steel ( carbon steel ) its an oil hardened steel that is very tough . Hope this helps

 

[singularity35]

I'd take the 52100 one...that's just me though.

 

[Neo]

52100 and L6 are very common steels, a bit of google and you have tons of info on these.

That said I didn't know saws where made of 52100.
L6 is used a lot for saw blades, it's a very though steel but rusts easily.
Maybe not the best choice for a neck knife (that you wear close to the body)

52100 is more demanding on the heat tread, so if the maker doesn't know what he's doing...

 

[idaho]

For neck knives I would take 52100, IF HTed properly.
L6 is more ductile steel, great for bigger blades.

 

[Blade-fiend]

Found this link, someone asked the same question a few years ago

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/608793-Advice-needed-on-l6-steel

 

[Myal]

as far as I know , Svord peasant has L6 blade . its pretty good gear .

 

[vba]

Look at this:

http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=A2, o1, l6, 52100, 1095&ni=11,,,,&sz=3&hrn=1&gm=0

 

[Jastab]

Stolen from the blade steel app on my phone.

L6:
C:*0.65-0.75; V:*0.20-0.30; Cr:*0.65-0.85;*Mo:*0.25; Mn:*0.55-0.85; Ni:*1.25-1.75;*P:*0.030; S:*0.030; Si:*0.20-0.40;*Notes:Originally a bandsaw steel. Very tough and easy to forge, with good wear resistance. Rusts easily. As SAE J438b standard code states:Mn may be in higher percentage than shown;Mo and V are optional, as the steels have found satisfactory application with or without those two elements.Obviously, for knife applications presence of both elements is beneficial

I'd still take 52100 over L6, I have no experience with L6 but I make knives out of 52100 for a good reason, it tough and holds a good edge for a long time. I put mine @ 61rc

 

[paulhilborn]

Alan Davis makes his "Misery Whips" out of L6 which are from old saw blades. All I can do is offer my experience with it and it's been a fantastic steel that sharpens very easily to a razor edge and maintains that edge for sometime.

I really don't use it hard due to it's diminutive size but again I really like the steel...

Paul

 

[shqxk]

I have done some research about the difference among hot work blade steel. Noted that I'm live nearby the home of the best bladesmith in Thailand and he is my friend. I have gathered a lot of knowledge about forge steel, both from using and testing. I have had experience with 52100, SK4, SK5, L6, O1, 5160, 1095 and some more. For performance wise I would pick 52100 over L6 anytime at any blade range.

Here is some of my friend work

 

[james terrio]

If it's literally just "old saw blades" it could be any number of alloys, ranging from very good to nearly junk.

I use 52100 but L6 makes a good knife, too.

 

[jstn]

52100 is pretty good stuff. I believe Swamp Rat uses an altered version in their blades. Very tough, good edge retention, but it can rust. Great steel though.

 

[dkb45]

Many of the common alloy steels are excellent. L6 is used a lot by Svord and is known for being insanely tough, forgiving to work with, and having decent edge retention BUT rusts if you look at it funny (I have had light spotting in hours). 5160 is pretty similar, with a little less toughness and a little better edge retention (I think slight better rust resistance too). 52100 is a miracle of steel. It isn't used that often, for little reason (I have heard it is pretty easy to work with) and it can actually hold its own in competition against some super steels.

Since the knife in question is made from saws, it is likely a high speed steel, so you are looking at L6 or 5160 for your most likely low end (even though L6 is an alloy steel, I think it is used for saws too). If it was made from leaf springs it could very likely be 52100.

I forgot about thicknesses. Both L6 and 52100 are pretty chip resistant from what I have seen in tests, so as long as they aren't ground like razors you should be fine.

 

[Allen R.]

Thanks guys, the 52100 knives are just not to my liking, the l6 ones literally look like a murray carter, the guy hatchett makes big choppers as well, and on those it has a picture of a saw blade and the guy told me some were made from old saw blades , as did google. The knife store is a probably the best in Alabama and the guy there is a knife nut and carries one on him everyday he said for years and years. If anyone from Alabama reads this and has been to Marks Outdoors in Birmingham , I'm speaking of the neck knives above the spyderco and microtech cases...