Oops I didn't label my blade blanks. They are either 3V or 52100

[Robert Erickson]

I'm usually good about keeping the blade blanks that I profile well labeled. Unfortunately I have 3 blades that I didn't. I found them in my move to my new shop and am curious if there's a simple way to tell whether they are 3V or 52100. They are profiled and drilled but not heat treated.
Will they give off different types of sparks? (However, I don't want to grind too much because they are already profiled.) Or should I just let Brad at Peter's HT know that they are one or the other?
Thanks and yes I've learned my lesson LOL.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

They should spark different and etch different. Make a compariso0n bar from a known piece of each type and test against them.
The 521900 should shower smaller and fragmenting sparks compared to the high alloy and lower carbon 3V. The 3V will have much less total sparks.
The 3V should etch much lighter than the 52100 ( 7.5% C plus V).
The 3V should be a bit tougher to grind as well.

 

[Robert Erickson]

They should spark different and etch different. Make a compariso0n bar from a known piece of each type and test against them.
The 521900 should shower smaller and fragmenting sparks compared to the high alloy and lower carbon 3V. The 3V will have much less total sparks.
The 3V should etch much lighter than the 52100 ( 7.5% C plus V).
The 3V should be a bit tougher to grind as well.

Thanks Stacy, I'll give those a try.

 

[butcher_block]

3v is powder steel and as such will spark much less V does not ad spark and 52100 has more carbon in the mix. i remember deker coming over to the shop and seeing how un heat treated cpm steels spark little (my guess is it cutts "cleaner") while wrought steels seem to have to fracture to be ground. i also coud see the difference when grinding cpm154 vvs 154cm

 

[jdm61]

My limited experience is that unhardened 3V seems to get hotter more quickly when grinding compared to "plain" carbon steel.

 

[kuraki]

Whichever alloy you're hoping they are, it's the other one. In my shop anyway

 

[samuraistuart]

If nothing else, just send them to Brad with a note "Please check these blanks with your particle disintegrator Klingon disruptor ray gun". I don't think it will differentiate carbon %, but rather the Cr %. 1.5% with 52100 and 7.5% with 3V. Should be pretty easy for him with that handy tool they have.