Niagara Specialty Metals - cool visit to where a lot of steel comes from!

Matthew Gregory

Matthew Gregory

Chief Executive in charge of Entertainment
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...well, maybe not actually comes from, but I sure as hell don't think anyone here can use it when it's in THIS form:

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Heck, I don't know... maybe I'm wrong. If you're reading this, and you roll yer own billets, move on. This is probably not that interesting.




Anyhoo, I got the chance to visit my friends up at NSM again, today, as I wanted to investigate some steel for an upcoming Super Secret Project.

Turns out I showed up at just the right time, as they were playing with the new sheet straightening machine:

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This contraption is capable of flattening 1-3/8" thick sheets to plus or minus a couple thou. Kids, that's a whole heap of force going on... I got there just too late for the show, though, so no pics of the operation.




Right next door, however, a couple guys were working on flattening titanium sheet:

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Watching these guys work is almost hypnotic. The smoothness with which they work belies the fact that they're whipping around sheets of a material floating around at REALLY high temperatures!





Speaking of titanium, I've found some sheet stock that may come in handy for you uber-tactical folder makers... can you say 6AL4V in INCH-AND-A-HALF THICK STOCK!?!?!?!??!??

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I can't tell you what that stuff was intended for, but I CAN tell you it's military aerospace.

AND it's for a new fighter jet.

One that doesn't seem to have a budget. Or at least one that no one has managed to reign in.

And it might be the JSF. :D







Over to the warehouse to poke around and get some ideas for the Super Secret Project:

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...maybe.




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Hmmm...




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Interesting!




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So many choices!!!!






I'm not telling about the project. None of you would have any interest, as it involves knives...


I did, at least, want to show you guys what steel looks like before you order it in a sheet, or a bar. Really, it just looks like BIG sheets or BIG bars!!!!;)

Hope you enjoy the photos, gang. I'm due to do another 'How it's Done' thread for this place, but my timing was bad, today. If I can arrange another visit, I'll see if I can't do a "From billet to knife" thread or something.
 
Matthew,
Very cool! Thank you for sharing these pics.
I've purchased a few sheets from the boys over there as the years pass by and would love to see the plant. Now if they would start carrying AEB-L I could order more from them.:)
 
I'm going to link to this thread next time the point needs to be illustrated that all bar steel - even stainless! - is fully forged before the maker ever gets it. ;)
 
Thanks for the great photos Matthew. Neat to see. Maybe need a bigger truck to get some of that home? I can't help it, but I feel like those big pieces should be polished and covered in Kydex - after all, they are our precious future knives. ;). And what I'd this Super Secret Project you speak of? Mike
 
Matt,
Thanks for stopping by yesterday and sharing your pictures It was great to catch up with you. We'll have everything running and hot next time you stop by. The guys work 4 days x 10 hours so Monday is a light day.
Bob
 
Matthew...








... thanks.



I might fill in the rest later. For now... it's a secret
Rick
 
I can't even imagine the cost of those giant chunks of S35VN and 10V. That is a LOT of steel.

Thanks for the post, it's always fascinating to see where our things come from, especially when it's from waaaay before they look anything like the final product.
 
10v is on my short list of stupid shit I've got to try.

...actually, my short list is a pretty long list. :D
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I can't even imagine the cost of those giant chunks of S35VN and 10V. That is a LOT of steel.

Thanks for the post, it's always fascinating to see where our things come from, especially when it's from waaaay before they look anything like the final product.
Click to expand...
Ditto! Matthew, did they give you any idea how much any of those sheets cost?
 
10v is fun jsut get it 99% finished before HT
its not as bad as s125v was tho
so many fun steels out there thats why i have my own kiln and LN
 
That warehouse is like the FAO Schwartz of PM blade steel!!! I noticed in the fist pics that some of those big billets have been ground on the edges and others are rusty. Had the clean ones had the "can" ground off of them already?
 
All of the CPM we buy from Crucible comes in here with the can already ground off. The only exception right now is CPM S110-V and CPM 20-CV. We buy those with the can on and machine it off the top and bottom prior to hot rolling. This keeps the edges from cracking. All of the can is sheared off after it is rolled to size and inspected before we ship it.

All of the raw material is kept out in the billet yard and will eventually develop some surface corrosion. The rusty surface essentially pops off once we put it in the furnace at 2100F for the initial hot rolling.
 
[video=youtube;-plTLLvUQrY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-plTLLvUQrY[/video]
Slow motion rolling.
 
That's cool as hell, Bob, but next time I come up we'll do one at normal speed, too. Guys, it's nothing short of amazing to watch how fluidly the team at NSM handle these billets/sheets. Seriously - a well-oiled, TWO-THOUSAND DEGREE MACHINE!
 
I've made two knives so far out of S110V and even working it pre HT that stuff just laughs at Ceramic belts. It has to be the toughest steel I've worked and finishing was even harder !:o.

Those blades sure cut like the dickens! I made two hunters out of a billet of it and one man bought both.
 
nsm said:
All of the CPM we buy from Crucible comes in here with the can already ground off. The only exception right now is CPM S110-V and CPM 20-CV. We buy those with the can on and machine it off the top and bottom prior to hot rolling. This keeps the edges from cracking. All of the can is sheared off after it is rolled to size and inspected before we ship it.

All of the raw material is kept out in the billet yard and will eventually develop some surface corrosion. The rusty surface essentially pops off once we put it in the furnace at 2100F for the initial hot rolling.
Click to expand...
Crazy. So you are essentially forging that stuff at high austenizing temp for most of the PM steels? ? How hard is that plate when you are done and how many runs though the press does it require?:eek:
 
Makes you wonder how many knives you could get from one of those large bars.

Thanks for posting this Matthew, very cool!
 
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