Opinions of 01 Steel?

Infi-del

Infi-del

Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
3,572
Been kicking around the idea of getting a bushcrafty knife. Seems a lot of the makers that make these use 01 for steel. Not real familiar with it. Wanted to ask some of you in the know what are it's characteristics? How does it hold up in the following areas

1. Edge Retention
2. Edge Chipping
3. Lateral Stressing
4. Rust Resistance
5. Ease of sharpening

What are some steels you might liken it or compare it to. I really like Micarta for handles. Is this too porous for 01 if it happens to be rust crazy? By that I mean might water seep into the micarta and perhaps allow rust to form on the tang it covers?
 
1. my 0-1 goes through dozens of trees 5-6" thick and comes out sharp as it was,
2. 0-1 is a softer steel so it is much more likely to give or bend, rather than to chip or snap, i have yet to see a chipped 0-1 blade
3. never had any problems as far as bending yet...
4. 0-1 because of the low chromium content(i think, dont quote me on that) has little rust resistance which only becomes a problem if you do not clean and dry the blade after use
5. 0-1 is a very easy to sharpen steel i would say because of the low HRC which is 54ish.

as far as rusting under the micarta scales i dont believe that would be a problem, at least not one i have run into yet.
hope this was helpfull in some way
 
Infidel: Pete here. New member. My first posts I've made are EXACTLY about your bushcraft 0-1 issues. We're in the same boat. I have on order a Skookum bush tool from Rod Garcia in 0-1 and have been wondering if I should switch to A-2. I think I'm gonna stick with 0-1. From all I've read, 0-1 is a super knife steel, as long as you take care of it and wipe it down and keep it dry. I think A-2 would probably require the same maintanence anyhow to keep it spot-free over time.
 
MValborg said:
1. my 0-1 goes through dozens of trees 5-6" thick and comes out sharp as it was,
2. 0-1 is a softer steel so it is much more likely to give or bend, rather than to chip or snap, i have yet to see a chipped 0-1 blade
3. never had any problems as far as bending yet...
4. 0-1 because of the low chromium content(i think, dont quote me on that) has little rust resistance which only becomes a problem if you do not clean and dry the blade after use
5. 0-1 is a very easy to sharpen steel i would say because of the low HRC which is 54ish.

as far as rusting under the micarta scales i dont believe that would be a problem, at least not one i have run into yet.
hope this was helpfull in some way
Click to expand...

having made knives out of forged O1 for years, I can say with out a doubt it is a premier blade steel. If you got ahold of one that is in the 54ish range of HRC it is because someone heat treated it wrong. look here for data on O1. Yes it will rust but it devolops an absolutly beautiful silvery grey to black patina. properly made micarta will not hold water especially if you give it a super glue coating. A properly heat treated O1 blade will easily become your favorite goto knife becuase it will take an edge and last all day.

Jason
 
Rod Garcia hardens 0-1 to around Rc 59-60, so the "54ish " rating sounds wrong to me ,too. That's way too low for a good steel like 0-1 IMO.
 
I'm a relatively new maker, and someone convinced me to use O1 instead of 1095 and I haven't regretted it yet. It sharpens up so easily that you thing you must have screwed up the temper, but that's not the case. It takes a super fine edge, and holds is extremely well. I would highly recommend it. It's very forgiving as far as heat treating goes too. Just my experience, hope this helps.
 
Fantastic steel. I have a couple of Nessmuks in O1, and it is wonderful. Very, very easy to sharpen, holds the edge very well, and it is tough to boot.
 
59-60 is a proper hardness. To get the best properties it requires careful control of time and temperature .A fine knife steel and a step above 1095 .Better than O-1 is A-2 as it has more alloying elements for better edge retention.
 
i like it, have a handmade in 01 and it gets sharp as hell. havent had any rusting problems, sharpens up very easy.
 
sup?
O1 is the good stuff.
i prefer L6 but you don't see it used as much as O1.
don't worry about rust. all steel will rust ,even stainless,remember "stain-less"

use the knife and look after it and it will look after you.
one way to protect a High Carbon steel blade is to allow or force the natural bluing of the blade. Old timers call carbon steel blue steel, because after awhile the blade would develop a bluish patina. this actually protects the blade.

to much gab.....:barf:

:D O1 is excellent , A2 is great
1095 is all good, and has been around since dirt.
you can always make your own, very cool:thumbup::cool:

if not , buy from a Forum member or maker.
you'll be happy you did
buzz
 
I made my brother a knife in O1/Nickel damascus by Del Ealy. It's performed excellently. No rust at all on the Oregon coast. I think that the etching helps, though (desired oxides keep out the bad ones).
 
I've been very satisfied with O1. No chipping, no bending, keeps the edge really well.
 
O1 is a top shelf old school steel that has been in use for a long time. Properly HTed and tempered O1 is hard to beat. Next to A2, it's one of my favorite carbon tool steels.
Scott
 
I think O1 gets looked over because it's not exotic and is relatively cheap. Some folks have a hard time seeing past the cost of materials when in reality, O1 has stood the test of time and simply works. The Spyderco Bushcraft knife ran into a bit of flack because it's "only" O1. Nothing flashy, no big marketing firm behind them, just a lot of potential when in the hands of someone who knows how to use it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top