Stainless equivalent of 1084?

D

Don Nguyen

Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Messages
1,043
Heya guys,

1084 is known as the good workhorse steel.

-Cheap
-Simple to HT
-Great results
-Easy to maintain/sharpen

What would be the stainless equivalent? Am I dreaming here too much?

Thanks. Sorry if this has been asked over and over; I've been searching and browsing for quite a while but haven't found a good comparison yet.



-Don
 
There is no stainless equivalent. AEB-L will be about as cheap as you can get, but it is impossible to HT right without a oven and a sub-zero setup. The results are pretty good, but the edge retention is not great. The saving grace is that it is easy to resharpen and will take a really, really sharp edge. That is probably your best bet, but it isn't the miracle steel that 1084 is.
 
With "stainless" steels, "cheap" and high performance don't generally go together. Ease of HT is not a hallmark of SS either, unless you send it to a pro like Peters' or Bos. It's not something you want to do in an old BBQ grill.

With all the factors you mentioned in mind, I cast my vote for CPM-154. It's reasonably-priced compared to other high-alloy steels, HT regimens are well-established, and it's a damn good performer that's not terribly hard to sharpen. Part of the reason I say it's easy to keep sharp is that it will support a nice thin edge, which means when it does get a bit dull, you don't have to remove gobs of steel to get it keen again.
 
james terrio said:
With all the factors you mentioned in mind, I cast my vote for CPM-154. It's reasonably-priced compared to other high-alloy steels, HT regimens are well-established, and it's a damn good performer that's not terribly hard to sharpen. Part of the reason I say it's easy to keep sharp is that it will support a nice thin edge, which means when it does get a bit dull, you don't have to remove gobs of steel to get it keen again.
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I am just getting started making knives. I have blacksmithing for some time though. How does the heat treat process work with CPM-154 and 154-Cm? I was thinking of maybe ordering some of 154-CM as well as 1084 from Aldo.

Thanks,
Greebe
 
Greebe, high alloy and CPM steels typically require high temperatures (1900F or greater) and fairly long, accurate soak times to reach thier full hardening potential. They also require quenching far below room temp (-90 degreesF at least) to achieve a full transformation from retained austenite to martensite. HT'ing high-alloy steels is NOT something you want to do in an open forge or backyard set-up.

Peters' Heat-Treating can and will do an outstanding job of hardening, quenching and tempering any steel you send them. No, I don't work for them. :)
 
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