Questions about S35V blade steel

[Lawman820]

After using my favorite knife to remove the jawbone from a deer (deer management study) there were some small chips in the forward edge of the blade about 0.25" from the tip. I was not doing any prying or using the knife in any manner that could be considered abusive. The blade is S35V steel, and I was lead to believe this type of steel was more than strong enough to do this kind of work and more without damage to the blade.

Was I wrong about this blade steel? Even if prying against a deer jawbone isn't it reasonable to expect this blade steel, from a top quality knife maker, here in the USA to be stronger?

 

[range13]

how hard the steel is heat treated and edge thickness will change how easy it is to chip a blade the thicker the edge the hard it will be to chip

 

[Popsickle]

After using my favorite knife to remove the jawbone from a deer (deer management study) there were some small chips in the forward edge of the blade about 0.25" from the tip. I was not doing any prying or using the knife in any manner that could be considered abusive. The blade is S35V steel, and I was lead to believe this type of steel was more than strong enough to do this kind of work and more without damage to the blade.

Was I wrong about this blade steel? Even if prying against a deer jawbone isn't it reasonable to expect this blade steel, from a top quality knife maker, here in the USA to be stronger?

saying its your favorite knife would imply you had had this knife for awhile? What is the knife in question? I've heard issues of chipping in LOTS of steels in production knives, and that once sharpened a few times they are good to go. Something to do with the mass heat treat of production blades I think? If im wrong someone step in and correct me please

 

[BonhamBlades]

I have numerous blades in s30v and have never had an issue and they are all hard use knives. Sounds to me like there were probs with it's heat treat.

 

[Ajack60]

Not every maker heat treats the same. Some have the S35VN treated at 58/59 HRC and some at 60/61 which will make a big difference in whether the blade will chip.
Not enough info to give a reasonable reply.

 

[Guest5160]

The edge on my 0550 had some micro chipping going on when I first got it, on the silliest of materials too. Two sharpenings later and it's holding just fine. Not nearly as chippy as S30V seems to be.

I'm no expert so I can't be sure if material removal or the more "polished" edge is what remedied it.

 

[watershipdown451]

I have numerous blades in s30v and have never had an issue and they are all hard use knives. Sounds to me like there were probs with it's heat treat.

Yes! I remember when the Paramilitary 2 in s35vn came out with their first batch of sprint runs. I used the knife cutting various things such as thick cardboard, fruits, meat and sisal rope. I noticed that rolling would form at the same spot after some heavy use. The rolling of the edge would happen frequently, especially when cutting harder material like thick cardboard. I remember sharpening it to completely get rid off the roll, then after some use the roll would show up again. After a few months, I sent it in to get professionally sharpened, then after some use the roll would show up at the same spot. I eventually got rid of it and picked up the same knife during their second batch, no problems at all. Same thing with my Sebenza in s35vn, no problems after daily use.

 

[MatthewSB]

heat treat

Any maker who knows enough to use S35Vn probably knows how to heat treat it. Not only that, bad heat treat is the most difficult to diagnose. I would start with things that you can control, first, like how thin the cutting edge is.

Not enough info to give a reasonable reply.

Absolutely. We don't know if the knife in question is a convexed 1/4" thick Bark River designed for field dressing critters, or a slicer with a 30 degree inclusive edge and a deep hollow grind.

Yes! I remember when the Paramilitary 2 in s35vn came out with their first batch of sprint runs. I used the knife cutting various things such as thick cardboard, fruits, meat and sisal rope. I noticed that rolling would form at the same spot after some heavy use. The rolling of the edge would happen frequently, especially when cutting harder material like thick cardboard. I remember sharpening it to completely get rid off the roll, then after some use the roll would show up again. After a few months, I sent it in to get professionally sharpened, then after some use the roll would show up at the same spot. I eventually got rid of it and picked up the same knife during their second batch, no problems at all.

Spyderco can be all over the place with their edge bevels, but they have state of the art heat treating capabilities.

 

[mete]

Final grind is often the culprit !!! It is very easy to damage the blade during final grind and this has been proven in serious tests . At least liquid cooling should be used ,the best of course is to do it by hand !!
S35VN is a very fine 'powder steel ' , my favorite one .

 

[Ankerson]

Final grind is often the culprit !!! It is very easy to damage the blade during final grind and this has been proven in serious tests . At least liquid cooling should be used ,the best of course is to do it by hand !!
S35VN is a very fine 'powder steel ' , my favorite one .

Something I have been trying to tell people for awhile.

People really should sharpen their knives before use, especially production knives just in case.

It's much easier to sharpen before use than to have to remove edge damage later on.

 

[MatthewSB]

Something I have been trying to tell people for awhile.

People really should sharpen their knives before use, especially production knives just in case.

It's much easier to sharpen before use than to have to remove edge damage later on.

Do you mean that people should sharpen the original edge because it removes any material that was overheated after being sharpened on belts, or whatever, at the factory?

 

[K.O.D.]

I have had chipping issues with S30V from several manufacturers, but no problem with S35VN in my TSF Beast.

More info regarding the knife in question would be very helpful.

 

[rustyrazor]

Any maker who knows enough to use S35Vn probably knows how to heat treat it. Not only that, bad heat treat is the most difficult to diagnose. I would start with things that you can control, first, like how thin the cutting edge is.



Absolutely. We don't know if the knife in question is a convexed 1/4" thick Bark River designed for field dressing critters, or a slicer with a 30 degree inclusive edge and a deep hollow grind.



Spyderco can be all over the place with their edge bevels, but they have state of the art heat treating capabilities.

1. Not the case.. a lot of makers who use S35VN send it out to HT.
2. agreed
3. agreed

That being the case, i have a S35vn Difensa from Spartan and I've beat the snot out of it. chopped a whitetail deer antler in half with it and had no issues with chipping whatsoever. Great steel in my opinion.

 

[B34NS]

After using my favorite knife to remove the jawbone from a deer (deer management study) there were some small chips in the forward edge of the blade about 0.25" from the tip. I was not doing any prying or using the knife in any manner that could be considered abusive. The blade is S35V steel, and I was lead to believe this type of steel was more than strong enough to do this kind of work and more without damage to the blade.

Was I wrong about this blade steel? Even if prying against a deer jawbone isn't it reasonable to expect this blade steel, from a top quality knife maker, here in the USA to be stronger?

Prying bone is almost always a surefire way to get chips. Maybe start by butchering out the tounge and running the knife along the jaw bone to seperate the connective tissue. Works in a few seconds and doesn't require any prying.

Although I like to S35VN a little different from most

 

[MatthewSB]

That being the case, i have a S35vn Difensa from Spartan and I've beat the snot out of it. chopped a whitetail deer antler in half with it and had no issues with chipping whatsoever. Great steel in my opinion.

Couldn't agree more, I have a Harsey Hunter and it's been the most versatile fixed blade I've ever used. I'm not sure what Spartan does to their steel but it's magic.

 

[chiral.grolim]

The blade is S35V steel, and I was lead to believe this type of steel was more than strong enough to do this kind of work and more without damage to the blade.

Was I wrong about this blade steel? Even if prying against a deer jawbone isn't it reasonable to expect this blade steel, from a top quality knife maker, here in the USA to be stronger?

Geometry+steel. Prying with a thin edge is usually problematic, that's what the steel behind the edge is for. How thin is the blade behind those chips? Have you sharpened that area of the blade before, or is it factory edge? Is this "top quality knife maker" known for chipped blades or "burnt edges"?

Prying bone is almost always a surefire way to get chips. Maybe start by butchering out the tounge and running the knife along the jaw bone to seperate the connective tissue. Works in a few seconds and doesn't require any prying.

Although I like to S35VN a little different from most

Nice boner :thumbup:



That may have come out wrong....

 

[Ankerson]

Do you mean that people should sharpen the original edge because it removes any material that was overheated after being sharpened on belts, or whatever, at the factory?

Yes, they are sharpened on power equipment so it's usually better to be safe than sorry.

That's if the knife is going to be a user, safe queens are best left as is.

 

[Lawman820]

Thank you all for your replies. My knife is the Spartan Difensa, a superb knife. The only maintenance needed has been to keep it clean and touch it up occasionally with a fine grit diamond sharpener. It's been with me everywhere I go, and in use regularly without problems until now. Before I start removing metal to get rid of the chips in the edge I wanted to learn about the matter. You all have helped enough for me to speak intelligently with Spartan about the problem. I was not using the knife to pry, I was only cutting between the jaw bone and the base of the head to separate the connective tissue. Your comments are greatly appreciated.

 

[MatthewSB]

Thank you all for your replies. My knife is the Spartan Difensa, a superb knife. The only maintenance needed has been to keep it clean and touch it up occasionally with a fine grit diamond sharpener. It's been with me everywhere I go, and in use regularly without problems until now. Before I start removing metal to get rid of the chips in the edge I wanted to learn about the matter. You all have helped enough for me to speak intelligently with Spartan about the problem. I was not using the knife to pry, I was only cutting between the jaw bone and the base of the head to separate the connective tissue. Your comments are greatly appreciated.

Great choice of a knife! Spartan has an amazing heat/cryo treat process. Did you call Spartan, if so what did they say? The owners are very accessible and knowledgeable and really care about taking care of their customers.

Sometimes edges are just going to get damaged, but done right S35VN should tend to roll before chipping. Honestly, even if you had the same knife, ground the same way but made out of {pick a steel people perceive as being tougher than S35VN} it probably would have chipped under the same conditions. I've personally chipped blades made from 1095, A2, D2, and S30V, all from very high quality manufacturers and sporting all sorts of different edge angles and grinds.

If I had to choose a single "do everything" knife, the Difensa would be very high on the list. That said, if my list of chores included dismantling recently killed deer parts I would probably get something from Bark River. They make a huge range of knives, all have very useful handles and their convexed edges tend to be very strong. If you like more taticalish knives, the Gunny is pretty small but still big enough to get a full grip on, the handle is contoured and comfortable for hours of use, and you can carry it in a pocket until needed. With BRKT's convexed edges, S35VN is crazy strong. Personally, I'd get a Gunny in S35VN and keep it in my 'pack, wearing my do-it-all Difensa for various "just in case" situations one might find themselves in out in the woods.

 

[B34NS]

Geometry+steel. Prying with a thin edge is usually problematic, that's what the steel behind the edge is for. How thin is the blade behind those chips? Have you sharpened that area of the blade before, or is it factory edge? Is this "top quality knife maker" known for chipped blades or "burnt edges"?



Nice boner :thumbup:



That may have come out wrong....

Well said. Similarly I can see why those havalon's are so popular with some.

Thanks! haha!