Now I Know Why

[warden41272]

Now I know why S30V is so expensive. In bar form, it's not that much more than 154CM, and is the same price as CPM154CM (my favorite). This stuff is an absolute b*tch to work with. A brand new hacksaw blade slides off it, when it's annealed! On top of that, the customer wants 7" and 10" chef's knives and a 6" boning knife out of it. That definitely explains the high cost of S30V knives. I'm in awe of makers who use S60V or S90V, or even this stuff regularly.

 

[thombrogan]

Please use the best respirator system you can afford. At least one knifemaker breathed in a bit too much vanadium and it messed him up.

 

[djolney]

As I understand it, forging steel with vanadium in it is even more dangerous than doing stock removal.

I wish more people understood why S30V custom knives are expensive.