Sharpening BG42 steel and Volkswagon spring steel

G

gdellamonica

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Jun 6, 2012
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There is a guy who has a huge collection of Ramon Pressburger knives he may decide to sell. He told me that some of them are made from BG42 steel, and that Ramon was the only one who had figured out how to make and sharpen blades with this steel. He had not purchased any knives since Ramon died in 2002, so he is obviously unaware that a number of makers are now using this steel.

The question I have is: If he actually decides to sell some of these BG42's (to paraphrase Prizzi's Honor: He would rather sell his children, and he's very fond of his children) and I get one, how do you sharpen that type of steel? I have Lansky and Smith jigs, including a couple of diamond stones, Japanese water stones, the usual assortment of Arkansas, and a 1" belt sander with grits from coarse through 600.

Also, I have run into a few hunting knives made in Brazil, and the seller claims that the steel is from Volkswagon leaf springs. Anyone heard of that source for steel, and how is it durability-wise?

Thanks
 
BG-42 is a very nice steel, less commonly used now than a decade ago. It is not a big deal to sharpen and diamond hones will cut any steel. As for the VW springs, it all depends on the heat treatment they receive by the knifemaker. They can be made into a very serviceable cutting tool.
 
Thanks for the info. I'll ask about the heat treating. If they guy knows, the knives may be worth a look. If not, I'll pass. I've had too many experiences with hardening that appears to have been done by a beered-up backyard blacksmith over charcoal briquets while the hambergers were cooking.

Thanks, too on the BG-42 info. The Pressbergers are really nice looking, but they appear to sell for a fraction of what they went for when Ramon was alive.
 
I have several knives and machetes made from car and truck leaf springs. Very common material source for ethnic hill tribes in S.E. Asia. I have a few Karen-made 'Bowie' shaped knives of different sizes that sharpen up very well and actually hold an edge nicely. They feel like 1095 steel, though I'm sure they aren't. The machetes and billhooks I have are all hill tribe farm tools, mostly Hmong, and after grinding, the only thing they use to sharpen them is a file.


Stitchawl
 
Volkswagon spring steel refers to leaf springs, which are highcarbon and an excellent source for tool steel. My source is The Complete Modern Blacksmith by Alexander Weygers.
 
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