Recommend which steel heavy duty use 8" fixed blade.

Hawk45

Hawk45

Joined
Jan 28, 2005
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2,154
Hi guys,

I have a friend who wants me to make a run of knives for his buddies over in the sandbox as gifts.
He wants them to have 7-8" blades and around .250" thick.
I've only worked with 1095 in the past. I was thinking of something more rust resistant, still tough for a long blade and holds a good edge.
I'll be sending these out for heat treat, so not worried about that aspect.
Was thinking maybe A2 or 154CM, but I think the 154CM is going to be out of the price point he needs.

Thanks,
Hawk
 
I would try to convince your friend that the price point of steel shouldn't be a consideration if buddies are putting their lives on the line over in the "sandbox". CPM 3V with a good heat treat is superbly tough, holds an edge well, and has decent corrosion resistance.
 
+1 on 3V. superbly tough, holds an edge well, and has decent corrosion resistance. :thumbup:
 
01 would be easier to grind than your 1095, and at least 20x easier to grind than 3V. CPM S35VN is very popular but I hate grinding it. When I have to have stain resistant I use CPM 154. If 440C didn't have the bad and undeserved stigma I'd use that. I really love grinding and cutting with 440C. Not as much as 01, but nothing beats 01. It'll rust quicker than 1095 even though. But the ease of grinding really will open your playbook a bit.
 
I haven't worked with 3V but have used it (and PD#1) and they are both excellent steels.
 
+ 1 for o1
80crv2, 52100 would also be good choices without breaking the bank. cpm 3v would be a good choice but it is kind of pricey.
is corrosion a problem in the sandbox?
 
Thanks guys. Moisture from sweat would be the biggest concern. I'm a big fan of patina, but I know not everyone agrees.

We just started talking about the project, and it was over many beers, so who knows how serious. He's looking at about 10 knives and for a guy working odd jobs at the moment, I'm not sure how big his budget will end up being. I'm not 100% on if they plan to use them as a primary cutting tool, or if they just want them as a team/club membership type thing.

I'm also looking to try some different steels, just to broaden my skill set and get a feel for what I like/don't like working with as far as materials.
 
In my experience, military personnel generally like knives and use them frequently, but they're not knife nuts. It's just a piece of gear. A lot of them just want painted "stainless steel", and that's what is usually issued. But they want high performance gear, so when you explain the functional tradeoffs with stainless they're willing to use something that isn't stainless, though one more piece of gear that needs attention isn't ideal. It is better if it is stain resistant or consider something like cerakote.

Weight is important. There is no good reason for a knife to weigh a pound.

They'll usually choose a 6" blade over an 8" blade.

They'll use the knife as a tool, but they want it to be capable of serving as a weapon also.

They're not cutting sushi over there, they're prying and punching holes in things, this is probably not a good application for 1/8" stock, zero grinds, distal taper and thin tips.

Wood scales change dimension when shipped and carried over there. Micarta is light, strong and dimensionally stable.

I'm sure that most any quality cutlery steel will serve the purpose, but I have gravitated towards 3V for this application because it is stain resistant and doesn't need to be thick or heavy to be indestructible. That said, it is kind of spendy and you probably shouldn't attempt the HT yourself.

Lastly, and most importantly, remember there are plenty of good usable production knives they could choose. If you're going to hand a solider a tool (be it a knife, a screw driver or a bottle cap opener) you need to know that it is up to the task and there should be a compelling functional reason why your work is actually demonstrably better than a low cost production alternative. War zones are not the place for screwing around.
 
Nathan is pretty much on the mark with the military guys. Most are gear nuts and most like knives, but very few of them know an incredible amount about knives... they get this stigma that they know about knives, but its not the case, as evident by most of the knives a lot of them carry. That being the case, I would assume you know more about knives than 97% of the guys you'll be making knives for, so trust in your skills and choices of material, grinds and sizes and I'm sure you'll make a very capable knife that is something they will be bragging to their friends about in no time... they do that too, lol. but if I had any tips for a guy making a knife for someone in the combat arms I'd suggest a solid tip, because you know they will use it roughly. A 6" blade is plenty.. (my larger military knives are 5.5") big knives get in the way and a soldier will eventually leave most kit behind if it gets in the way or is too heavy, but if they want 7.. that's what they want. you're gonna want full tang on it and some sort of guard (just enough not to allow the fingers to slip at least) because they are going to abuse it a bit and they are likely gonna jab it into something at some point. As far as steel goes, don't get too bent out of shape about it. coat your 1095... it's more than capable of anything, or if you want stainless, just pick one that isn't brittle and do the magic with your geometry and heat treat. I have made lots of military knives out of 440c and never had an issue... and have some great stories of abuse. anyway, that's my rant. cheers.
 
Another vote for 3V or PD1. Reliability for them over there is of utmost importance.
If you have a good grinder and use good belts you will only notice the difference in workability on the first knife. After that it will be a breeze.
 
Thanks everyone. I prefer knives in the 4-5" range, but I'll make him what he wants, it's his dime.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
...I'm sure that most any quality cutlery steel will serve the purpose, but I have gravitated towards 3V for this application because it is stain resistant and doesn't need to be thick or heavy to be indestructible.
Click to expand...

Nathan,
Would you consider D2 or CPM D2 for this application?
 
ggoose said:
Nathan,
Would you consider D2 or CPM D2 for this application?
Click to expand...


Yes, for the simple fact that the majority of use boils down to cutting chores, and D2 with a cutlery heat treat performs and holds an edge in most cutting application better than 3V, CPM154, S30V, etc.

It's not half as tough as 3V, but it's tougher than most of the stainless steels they're using over there and it's nearly stainless. It wouldn't be my first choice because you can break it in rough use, but it would be better than a lot of the stuff being used over there.
 
A2 has a good track record with service men Chris Reeves and Phill Hartsfield have been making and having them go over seas for a long time.

I like A2 it is very tough, easy to work with and not to bad with corrosion if cared for.

You can have the blades cerakote as mentioned....
 
Sounds like some good advice the only thing i can really add is that from experience dont let your friends description of heavy duty fool you into making a 'heavy' knife. Try and make it as light weight as possible without sacrificing too much performance because when you have to carry around 100+ lbs of kit for a few days or weeks you arnt gonna want an extra 2 or 3lbs of steel strapped to you. With that being said I have lots of cpm s35vn steel knives which i really like. They are very tough and hold great edges for a very long time. And they are one less piece of kit i have to worry about keeping the rust from getting at.
 
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