Schatt and Morgan's ATS-34 (Questions from a carbon steel caveman)

belljs3

belljs3

Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
352
Hello,

I've been thinking about getting a Schatt and Morgan, only thing is the knife I want is in ATS-34 steel.

The only stainless steel I have experience with is Buck's 420, I was just wondering if any other guys from the carbon steel camp have made the leap and can offer any advice as far as sharpening, edge retention, etc.

(I'm not sure if this belongs here or tinkering and maintenance since it is a specific traditional maker's steel)
 
It is an excellent blade steel. Same basic composition as 154cm & Latrobe 14-4CrMo. Won't sharpen quite as easy as 1095 or Bucks 420 but will hold an edge longer.
 
I'm good with it here in Traditional. But, I'm a steel junky and like to talk about this stuff. Gary is more objective about this topic and he can move the thread if he feels it appropriate.

I'm not exactly from the "carbon steel camp", but I can give some information about ATS-34. The steel has the same composition as 154CM, but is made by Hitachi.

I typically sharpen ATS-34 at about a 15° per side angle. You need synthetic stones to sharpen it, ceramic or diamond. A Washita stone will not work well.

Overall, it holds an edge better than 1095, but does not keep a "razor edge" as long. It will hold a working edge noticeably longer than 1095 or 440C.

It has very good corrosion resistance.
 
I typically use a lansky to sharpen, just with the regular Arkansas stones. Do I need to upgrade to diamond in order to get anywhere when sharpening?

(Just saw knarfeng's comment after posting, thanks for the info!)
 
Frank knows way more than I do about the different steel characteristics too so pay much more attention to his comment lol.
 
belljs3 said:
I typically use a lansky to sharpen, just with the regular Arkansas stones. Do I need to upgrade to diamond in order to get anywhere when sharpening?
Click to expand...

Not at all. If it is indeed as Frank says (certainly no reason to believe it isn't!) then you will be OK. I have a favorite Benchmade with a 154cm blade and it rebeveled and sharpened with on Lanksy with AlOx stones just fine.

As always, just match the grit to the task. If you need to take a lot of material off (remember... made by Queen) to get the bevels right, then start with your coarsest stone and work your way up through the grits. Plenty of lube for the cutting surface of your stones and you'll be fine.

Robert
 
I used a Washita as a young man. It works well on alloys which do not have carbides. But the carbides are harder than the stone, so it kind of defeats the purpose of the stone to use it on an alloy with carbides. Used to drive me nuts with my 440C Buck knives. I knew a couple of Washita users back then who sold their Buck knives and bought Schrades because they could not sharpen the Buck 440C, but could sharpen the Schrade 440A. Nowadays I use ceramic or Diamond. I still have a soft Arkansas stone somewheres or other, but never use it.

It doesn't have to be diamond, but I do recommend something like aluminum oxide.
 
I like the steel in my grandad barlow.

Sharpens fine, gets shaving sharp easy.

I do think it holds an edge longer than my 1095 blades.
 
I'm with Frank on using more aggressive stones to sharpen ATS-34. I've had quite a few Queens in D2 and Schatts in ATS-34, and to me the ATS-34 takes longer to sharpen. This with diamond stones and steels.
 
I have a few S&M in ATS34, good steel in premium patterns. You can find some knits to pick with them if that's your bag, but I've never sent one back and have always been happy. I accumulate users but do not collect safe queens. :)

I agree it holds an edge better than 1095 and 440C. I sharpen on ceramics with no problem. However, to reprofile (Queen tips :) ) it helps to have a diamond hone. It holds a good shine and is relatively rust-free. Virtually all S&M ATS34 knives (except some early ones I have been told) have the steel type marked somewhere on the blade. So if the knife doesn't say ATS34, I would beware.
 
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