New Knife Project

redscorpion6

redscorpion6

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Help! Hey guys I am getting requests to make a knife out of Vasco Wear from a couple of soldiers in Afghanistan. Does anyone work with this type of material so I can refer these guys to you?
They are wanting a modified WSK type of fixed blade.

RS6-BLADES
www.redscorpionsix.com
 
moving-van.jpg
 
Vascowear was an exceptionally tough high-vanadium steel. I say 'was', because, to my knowledge, it's no longer made. In the 80's, Gerber made some of their folding Sportsman blades out of Vascowear (collectors pay big bucks for nice examples). This steel, if you can find any leftovers, is VERY hard to grind, and presents problems for owners who need to sharpen in the field.
-Mark
 
was vascowear`stainless? because if vanadium is the ticket, then there are a couple of tool steels out that have enough to aaprently make a difference.
 
Vascowear was not stainless, it just ate belts like they were free when hardened :)

The steels fitzo mentioned should be a good substitute, or if you are looking for stainless/stain resistant, D2, or BG-42 both have toughness and good wear properties

Ken
 
Tom Militano said:
What's the difference between vascowear and vascomax? Thanks
Click to expand...


Tom, I had to Google the Vascomax, so this is just parroting. Vascomax is a series of low carbon 18.5% Nickel steels that use either coabalt and/or titanium to achieve hardnesses up into the 50's (depending on the mix) through precipitation hardening. Here's a brief Allegheny pdf about them.
http://www.allvac.com/pages/PDF/tech/VascoMaxC.pdf

Vascowear was a heavily alloyed tool steel:
C 1.1, Cr 7.5, V 2.4, W 1.15, Mo 1.6
It was used as one of those steels that "didn't hold a shaving edge a long time but held a sharp edge forever". It was a real son of a gun to work after hardened and one seldom saw it on a knife other than coarse finished.


Hope that helps.
 
I would suggest looking at CPM3V. Its very expensive a royal pain to work with but very tough. I've seen some swords made of this steel that are extremely durable. The new Zero Tolerance 0100 fixed blade is also this steel. Very good impact steel from what I've read. A real pain to sharpen in the field though.

STR
 
Thanks Mike. I've got a couple of pieces of vascowear laying around the shop somewhere. Tom Mayo told me to throw it into the woods and forget about it.
 
I can tell you this; you're NOT going to like working it(at least, not hardened). Plus, the availability will be tough. They sell Cruwear, supposedly the same steel, but my sources tell me it's not quite the same.

Vascowear EATS grinding belts, like they're going out of style. I second the recommendation for CPM3V.
 
fitzo said:
Vascowear was a heavily alloyed tool steel:
C 1.1, Cr 7.5, V 2.4, W 1.15, Mo 1.6
It was used as one of those steels that "didn't hold a shaving edge a long time but held a sharp edge forever". It was a real son of a gun to work after hardened and one seldom saw it on a knife other than coarse finished.


Hope that helps.
Click to expand...


Russ Andrews used to use quite a bit of Vascowear, and he was dedicated enough(crazy, maybe?) to handrub it to 1200-1500 grit! :eek: :eek: :)
 
Vasco Wear in no longer produced.
Cruwear (Crucible) looks the same on paper, but dosen't work the same
(easier), and I don't think it performes as well.

I'd bet on 3V for combat knives, and make sure the guys who get the
knives also have diamond sharpeners.
 
Guys I appreciate all the information. I have had a customer that wants to produce a WSK out of this type of steel and with the complexity of grinds I just don't see it working out from a financial or working side either.
 
I repeat my previous post including the new info that has been posted. If the Vascowear steel wasn't stainless, why not consider W2? We KNOW that stuff is tough and it HAS to be cheaper than any of the CPM steels even if you have to pay Don Hanson to forge it out into flat bars like i did initially and no diamond sharpeners needed. For a combat knife, i would want a steel that can be touched up using "field expedient" sharpening matriels:D By the way.....what on earth is a WSK? lol
 
ah....looked at your site....WSK the weird movie knife.....nevermind:p
 
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