Question for Becker Experts.

[EarlFH]

I have two of the original Becker knives, from when Ethan was running his own company.(A BK-2, and a Tac-tool). If memory serves me correctly, they were advertised as being made of 1070 steel. Can someone tell me if that is correct, and what kind of steel the present ones are made of? If they are different, which is considered the best steel?

Thanks for any help,
EarlFH

 

[RABII]

Have you checked Bladite's thread at the top of the forum? He covers most, if not all, of the Beckers. He has provided a mini-database that should answer your questions. If not PM him and he can surely answer your questions.

 

[Ethan Becker]

Hey Earl.....

If you have Cinci era knives, the BK2 is made from 4140 at a 53-55 RC and the Tactul is probably 440A stainless and if it is carbon it is also 4140......4140 has tremendous toughness and is usually not considered a great knife steel but as I found out it DOES hold a pretty good edge, is a fairly aggressive cutter and is pretty easy to sharpen.....Is it 1095 cro-van, D2 or A2 - no, but I got no complaints about the steel at the time.........I used 440 A for the Tactul because I hoped to market it to the dive community as the Divtul and I could only afford so much steel......I specced 440A rather than the more commonly used 440C because of it's better mechanical properties.....BTW one of the great things about 4140 is that you can sharpen the blade with a good file in an emergency......One of the other nice things about 4140 is that it is used in a lot of automotive gears and springs, as well as rifle barrels(it is also known as ordnance steel) and a whole lot of heat treaters can cook it just right badly hung over.....Heat treat is often more important than steel choice.....Knives are made or ruined in heat treat......

The short answer is I would rather have 1095 CroVan cooked to Tooj's specs than an original Cincinnati product that was 4140 and cooked over at the heat treat subsidiary of Cincinnati Gear Corp.....Although those guys ALWAYS cooked right to spec.......

All Best....

ethan

 

[trailbum]

Becker Experts, well that would be me.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
First of all I don't have the slightest idea but FAQ will.( top of this forum)
If it doesn't someone who isn't full of it will.
Love to see some pics though.

 

[Bladite]

someone say FAQ? kawaiiiiiii!

 

[Cobra281]

Hey Earl.....

If you have Cinci era knives, the BK2 is made from 4140 at a 53-55 RC and the Tactul is probably 440A stainless and if it is carbon it is also 4140......4140 has tremendous toughness and is usually not considered a great knife steel but as I found out it DOES hold a pretty good edge, is a fairly aggressive cutter and is pretty easy to sharpen.....Is it 1095 cro-van, D2 or A2 - no, but I got no complaints about the steel at the time.........I used 440 A for the Tactul because I hoped to market it to the dive community as the Divtul and I could only afford so much steel......I specced 440A rather than the more commonly used 440C because of it's better mechanical properties.....BTW one of the great things about 4140 is that you can sharpen the blade with a good file in an emergency......One of the other nice things about 4140 is that it is used in a lot of automotive gears and springs, as well as rifle barrels(it is also known as ordnance steel) and a whole lot of heat treaters can cook it just right badly hung over.....Heat treat is often more important than steel choice.....Knives are made or ruined in heat treat......

f a business.

The short answer is I would rather have 1095 CroVan cooked to Tooj's specs than an original Cincinnati product that was 4140 and cooked over at the heat treat subsidiary of Cincinnati Gear Corp.....Although those guys ALWAYS cooked right to spec.......

All Best....

ethan

And there ya go ... doesn't get any better than having the guy who actually who made it, give you the info. Sweet.

 

[EarlFH]

Hey Earl.....

If you have Cinci era knives, the BK2 is made from 4140 at a 53-55 RC and the Tactul is probably 440A stainless and if it is carbon it is also 4140......4140 has tremendous toughness and is usually not considered a great knife steel but as I found out it DOES hold a pretty good edge, is a fairly aggressive cutter and is pretty easy to sharpen.....Is it 1095 cro-van, D2 or A2 - no, but I got no complaints about the steel at the time.........I used 440 A for the Tactul because I hoped to market it to the dive community as the Divtul and I could only afford so much steel......I specced 440A rather than the more commonly used 440C because of it's better mechanical properties.....BTW one of the great things about 4140 is that you can sharpen the blade with a good file in an emergency......One of the other nice things about 4140 is that it is used in a lot of automotive gears and springs, as well as rifle barrels(it is also known as ordnance steel) and a whole lot of heat treaters can cook it just right badly hung over.....Heat treat is often more important than steel choice.....Knives are made or ruined in heat treat......

The short answer is I would rather have 1095 CroVan cooked to Tooj's specs than an original Cincinnati product that was 4140 and cooked over at the heat treat subsidiary of Cincinnati Gear Corp.....Although those guys ALWAYS cooked right to spec.......

All Best....

ethan

Ethan,
Thanks for the answer. I never expected to hear from the man himself! I was told, when I bought the tac tool, that it was made of 440 stainless, but I thought he was just putting me on. It doesn't have any coating on the blade. Mine has a 6" blade, and is partially serrated. I wasn't sure of the BK-2. It has a light gray(?) coating on it. Now I know for sure.
Thanks again,
Earl.

 

[EarlFH]

Here are the pics of the Beckers I was asking about.

1. Becker BK-2, with the original leather sheath, and a custom kydex sheath I had made for it. No markings on the knife.

2. Becker Tac-Tool, with original sheath, and later model micarta grips, with stainless bolts I installed. Reverse side is marked "made in USA, and Effingham, IL."

Both are unused, and never carried, although I did touch up the edge of the BK-2 when I first bought it, and you can see some rub marks on the leather sheath of the BK-2.

EarlFH