Oddball blade steel

Well, probably some of the super rust resistant steels like H1 (contains nitrogen instead of carbon) and surely some of the "super steels" like m390. I am in proces of ordering a knife in bulat steel from bbulat.ru - I am very curios about it, but it will probably be some time before I will get one (technical reasons and language barrier). But there are a few very common steels I would like to try - W2 or M4 for example.
 
Not so many rare steels that I want to try, but I would like to get some of the more common steels at varying hardnesses that are not commonly seen. For instance, I'd really like to try 3V at 59, CPM cruwear and 10V at 62+ 52100 and M4 at 64, and 1095 and 4V at 66. Just out of curiosity I'd also like to test and compare 15V, maxamet, and rex 121 at anything over 68, I guess those are rare.

Add in some super accelerated quenches and some cryo to some low alloy steels at high hardness and I'd have enough knives to test and use for the next couple of years.
 
-Stellite 6K

-SM 100

-CPM 4V

- Cowry -Y

-another vote for CPM Rex 121 at high HRC

-not rare but some high HRC ZDP 189 would be fun as well. AKA Rockstead.
 
Farid Mehr uses more exotic steels..the current mini-K2 is D3. I've had it for a few weeks and I like it a lot. I'm not positive but I think it's finished at 60 hardness.
 
bodog said:
Not so many rare steels that I want to try, but I would like to get some of the more common steels at varying hardnesses that are not commonly seen. For instance, I'd really like to try 3V at 59...
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Most production knives are tempered back way too soft for various reasons. You're probably going to have to go custom for most of the steels you mentioned at high hardnesses, but I think Survive! has their 3V run at 59 or 60Rc? That's a great level for general-purpose/"hard use" 3V... it improves the edge-retention and it's still very tough. :thumbup: I have all my 3V run at 60Rc these days.

bodog said:
Add in some super accelerated quenches and some cryo to some low alloy steels at high hardness and I'd have enough knives to test and use for the next couple of years.
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There's a reason almost no one does that sort of thing... there's generally not much to gain from really fast quenches except breaking a lot of blades, and cryo just isn't required to get simple steels to form up into martensite properly (although I've never found any professionals who say cryo hurts low-allow steel, so it's worth a try for sure). All the low-allow steels can get good and hard (64Rc, some up to 66Rc, possibly higher?) with proper "normal" quenching techniques; final hardness is largely a matter of how far back you temper them. :)
 
BluegrassBrian said:
Farid Mehr uses more exotic steels..the current mini-K2 is D3. I've had it for a few weeks and I like it a lot. I'm not positive but I think it's finished at 60 hardness.
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Yea, those little K2s are a great knife, I have been enjoying mine lots. I have a few knives in D3 and D6 from Farid. I have been pleased with them all. I also have a couple of his mules and a comp chopper in REX-121. :D:thumbup:
 
BluegrassBrian said:
Hopefully it's not my last. I like what I've seen.
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He takes on some interesting steels for sure. The D3 chopper I have has been a superb blade. The steel has been nice to use on the folder as well, as you know. :)

I was also lucky enough to get a full flat ground mini K2, not many of those about. ;)
 
Haze said:
Yea, those little K2s are a great knife, I have been enjoying mine lots. I have a few knives in D3 and D6 from Farid. I have been pleased with them all. I also have a couple of his mules and a comp chopper in REX-121. :D:thumbup:
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I'm going to pretend I'm not jealous... ;):D

Awesome knives man congrats on owning them. :thumbup::cool:
 
james terrio said:
Most production knives are tempered back way too soft for various reasons. You're probably going to have to go custom for most of the steels you mentioned at high hardnesses, but I think Survive! has their 3V run at 59 or 60Rc? That's a great level for general-purpose/"hard use" 3V... it improves the edge-retention and it's still very tough. :thumbup: I have all my 3V run at 60Rc these days.




There's a reason almost no one does that sort of thing... there's generally not much to gain from really fast quenches except breaking a lot of blades, and cryo just isn't required to get simple steels to form up into martensite properly (although I've never found any professionals who say cryo hurts low-allow steel, so it's worth a try for sure). All the low-allow steels can get good and hard (64Rc, some up to 66Rc, possibly higher?) with proper "normal" quenching techniques; final hardness is largely a matter of how far back you temper them. :)
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This^. Another thing you may run into is that above 60hrc I'd feel better with any steel if the spine was drawn back a bit-and some of the tempering temps and times we're talking about are so high I don't know how you'd get that to work in any reasonable way-not like you can go back in with a torch and draw the spine after regular tempering (at least in my knowledge.)
It's not a super steel, but it's definitely oddball-I occassionally play with shear steel/blister steel (basically carburized wrought iron in the latter case, an in the former the same refined by folding)-it has a fascinating grain and in the most recent blade I did out of it, had so much carbon that it had to be drawn to bright blue before it stopped chipping on a brass rod. Generally I find it in buggy/sleigh springs from the 19th century. I'll try to find a decent pic of an etched blister steel blade.
 
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Haze said:
He takes on some interesting steels for sure. The D3 chopper I have has been a superb blade. The steel has been nice to use on the folder as well, as you know. :)

I was also lucky enough to get a full flat ground mini K2, not many of those about. ;)
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Pics, brother. Pics!
 
I'll take a few pics of the FFG K2 tomorrow, it's dark o'clock here just now. :)

D3 Chopper
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REX-121 choipper
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The thick one is the REX, the .25" is the D3.
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A REX-121 mule doing its thing.....
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Haze said:
I'll take a few pics of the FFG K2 tomorrow, it's dark o'clock here just now. :)

D3 Chopper
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REX-121 choipper
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The thick one is the REX, the .25" is the D3.
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A REX-121 mule doing its thing.....
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Oh yas, those are very nice blades. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: Officially jelly now. ;):rolleyes::D

Thanks for the pics Haze. :thumbup:
 
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