New forge steel, ApexUltra

Larrin said:
52100 is essentially the same steel without the tungsten and vanadium. If carbon hadn’t been raised with those extra carbide formers then you would need to austenitize at higher temperatures to get the same hardness as 52100.
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With that amount of tungsten, and it not being an air hardened steel. Would you expect the formation of wc carbide in some amount? That could be a nice contributor to edge retention.
 
Blankblank said:
With that amount of tungsten, and it not being an air hardened steel. Would you expect the formation of wc carbide in some amount? That could be a nice contributor to edge retention.
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Yes, the edge retention is quite good compared to other low alloy steels. Because tungsten is such a heavy element, the 0.4% vanadium actually leads to a similar amount of VC as the WC. And the chromium addition increases the hardness of the iron carbide.
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Larrin said:
Yes, the edge retention is quite good compared to other low alloy steels. Because tungsten is such a heavy element, the 0.4% vanadium actually leads to a similar amount of VC as the WC. And the chromium addition increases the hardness of the iron carbide.
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Would this steel be suitable for stock removal blades? Pop’s Knife Supply is out of stock, but I would like to order some when they get a new batch in. BTW, thanks for the contributions you make to our community.
 
TheEdge01 said:
Would this steel be suitable for stock removal blades? Pop’s Knife Supply is out of stock, but I would like to order some when they get a new batch in. BTW, thanks for the contributions you make to our community.
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It would work fine for stock removal just as other low alloy steels do. Pops hasn’t gotten their steel yet (shipping and customs takes time) so you haven’t lost your chance to order from them.
 
Larrin said:
Yes, the edge retention is quite good compared to other low alloy steels. Because tungsten is such a heavy element, the 0.4% vanadium actually leads to a similar amount of VC as the WC. And the chromium addition increases the hardness of the iron carbide.
Screen_Shot_2022-06-28_at_10.39.27_AM_480x480.png
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Wow that's pretty exciting . I don't forge all that much, but this could be the top contender for when I choose too. Of course depending on availability in the future, as well as price.

I have a buddy that tends to like to forge quite a bit, and work with lower alloy steels. I'll definitely make sure he sees the properties this steel is showing.

I'm guessing the hardenability is going to be too high on this to get much detail doing something like a a differential hardening?
 
Blankblank said:
Wow that's pretty exciting . I don't forge all that much, but this could be the top contender for when I choose too. Of course depending on availability in the future, as well as price.

I have a buddy that tends to like to forge quite a bit, and work with lower alloy steels. I'll definitely make sure he sees the properties this steel is showing.

I'm guessing the hardenability is going to be too high on this to get much detail doing something like a a differential hardening?
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Differential hardening would be possible but a hamon would be difficult.
 
I received a few bars of ApexUltra today. I’ve made a few knives out of the test batch of this steel, I have one in my kitchen and use it every day. Very excited to make more kitchen knives out of it. Great job ApexUltra team.

Hoss
 
Just an Update Popsknifesupply just got their shipment and have ApexUltra, the touch marks, and etching stencils in stock
 
DevinT said:
I received a few bars of ApexUltra today. I’ve made a few knives out of the test batch of this steel, I have one in my kitchen and use it every day. Very excited to make more kitchen knives out of it. Great job ApexUltra team.

Hoss
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Hoss have you tested hardening temps without cold treatment? It seems like the current data numbers are with cryo of some sort.
 
Joshua Fisher said:
Hoss have you tested hardening temps without cold treatment? It seems like the current data numbers are with cryo of some sort.
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I haven’t, they sent very little material from the test batch initially. They also limited what we got from this batch because of loss at the mill.

Larrin just got his today, he might do some testing without cryo or sub-zero.

Hoss
 
DevinT said:
I haven’t, they sent very little material from the test batch initially. They also limited what we got from this batch because of loss at the mill.

Larrin just got his today, he might do some testing without cryo or sub-zero.

Hoss
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Thank you, I’m looking forward to seeing some more testing and data, I’ve got several bars ordered and will have fun forging out some knives and getting them ready to heat treat soon.
 
DevinT said:
It has to do with the amount of alloy in the steel. Some steels are shallow hardening and some are deep hardening, there’s a whole range. For a proper hamon you need a shallow hardening steel.

Hoss
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Thank you, Hoss! IIRC, CPM steel is a significantly finer grain; So, would seem more dense and need a consistent hardness throughout....am I tracking? Are there general characteristics of working with CPM metals that significantly change from the cheap whatever I can get to start? FWIW, grinder ought to be up in days, now that all parts are here or in delivery. I very much appreciate the insight of the community and am so excited to be learning such an awesome craft!!!
 
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