Steel for kitchen knives

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unky_gumbi

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Aug 28, 2009
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So after I finish up the projects I have on the go right now I think I would like to make a couple of kitchen knife sets. Namely a 8" chefs knife, 6" utility knife and a pairing knife.
I would like to do these to give to a couple of my knife shy friends who think I have started making deadly weapons.
What I wold like to know is what type of steel would everyone recomend. I am thinking higher end stainless like S30V. also what thickness would work best and do I need toget a couple of different thickneses

Thanks for the info in advance
George
 
Hiya.

I'm also pretty new at this, want to do some kitchen cutlery, and am wondering the same thing, so I will be interested in the responses you get.

After looking around (a lot) a different steels, I realized I need to come to a balance between quality of steel and my ability to work and heat treat it correctly.

All in all, from what I read online, it seems like S30V would make a very good knife and would be a lot of work to shape. ATS34 seems to have very good corrosion resistance and will be easier to work. I'm not clear - it seems like it's in the same ballpark as S30V (see Crucible's data sheet with comparison at http://www.crucibleservice.com/datash/dss30vv4b.pdf). If it matters to you, ATS34 is less expensive than S30V.

From what I can tell, getting the heat-treating correct will be as important, or more so. It seems clear that heat-treating with a torch and oil quench would not be sufficient to ensure adequate stainless properties, so (if I understand correctly), if you don't have a kiln, you may want to plan on sending it out.

Good luck - I'll be following this thread with interest.
 
I've been very happy with CPM 154 run to 60-61. It takes a screaming sharp edge and holds it.

I made a chopper (cleaver-ish) from 3V and it worked well. It allowed me to take the edge thin so it can be used for general kitchen tasks (slicing, dicing), but it has no trouble chopping up a 2x4 (try doing that with most chef knives).
 
i use cpm154 it takes a nice finish and is plenty hard (heat treated right ) also niceer to work with then cpms30v
in the kitchen the fine edge is more useful then the abrasion resistance of the added V in s30v
 
I use ATS-34 and its a great kitchen steel, I think stainless is a must unless you got to a carbon steel for users who understand a patina and can care for the knife. I would not go over 3/32. This is the key to a good cutter, you need to take the edge down to 0.02 or less to slice vegs and thick meats like roast. A thick edge will try to slip sideways. I use a full flat grind to the spine.
 
so far as the edge before sharpenign depending on the user you should shoot for well less then .020
if used around bones or other hard things .010 and if its just for slicing or veggies i have gone as far as .003. know your end user tho as edges like that are kind of like race cars lots of fun but a bit more to look after both in how you sharpen and how you "drive" the knife around the cuttign board
 
I second Patricknives. I like 440C and ATS34. I favor light weight kitchen knives. My small knives are typically 1/16 and larger Chefs 3/32. I don't make cleavers so no experience there. Have fun.
 
I have used s30v, 440-c, ats-34, have not got any complaints on any of them.
 
wow butcher 0.003, I think I need to practice on some razors before I attempt something like that. I could slice garlic goodfella style. Thin is the way to go
 
really i have 3 grind specs dependingon the blade style and use and then the user
STD would be .005 .010 and .015 the .003 and some less then that are only for the most extreme chefs and knifes they use

also you will have a hard time gettign the edges to hold up at the small thickness less yu nail the HT
 
Patrickknives said:
I use ATS-34 and its a great kitchen steel, I think stainless is a must unless you got to a carbon steel for users who understand a patina and can care for the knife. I would not go over 3/32. This is the key to a good cutter, you need to take the edge down to 0.02 or less to slice vegs and thick meats like roast. A thick edge will try to slip sideways. I use a full flat grind to the spine.
Click to expand...

When working with a thinner steel for kitchen knives do you profile the blade and heat treat before grinding the bevels? Is warping a problem?

Thanks,
 
I don't use stainless and I have found that 15N20 works really very well for kitchen knives (that is all I make) You can get 15N20 from industrial band saw blades. It takes a really nice hamon and it is flexible. The thickness that I use is about 1/16" which is just fine for blades up to about 6" long. I also really like 1095 in 3/32" or 1/8" for bigger knives (6" - 8"). Cocobolo is a nice wood for kitchen knives. All the ladies seem to absolutely adore cocobolo. I gave up on all other types of knives except kitchen knives because I want my knives to be USED not lay around and be looked at. I love to see them after one or two or more years. It is delightful to me to see how they have comported themselves while living in a real world being used as working tools. I, myself, have hunting knives and combat knives (I even have the Randal that I carried as a young Forward Observer in Viet Nam). But I find that the the hunting knives seldom get used and, of course, the combat knives just gather dust and elicit old memories. My kitchen knives WORK everyday like a knife and a man and a woman and a horse and a dog should. I have found that a good, usable, good looking kitchen knife is worth about 25 or 30 points in the wife / husband, mother / son, sister / brother point system.
 
I really love the performance of D2 as a chefs knife. It cuts aggressively and hardly dulls. Also it responds quite well to butcher steel, a couple of passes will make it cut just like it is newly sharpened.
It stains a bit, minor pits if not maintained, but if kept dry it will shine like any other stainless...

Emre
 
I've used the 13c26 for several knives and like the finish. Recently did a big Santoku out of 19c27 and the finish was rough, didn't like it. 13c26 and cpm 154 get my vote.
 
I grind all my bevels post HT with stainless. My steps are profile, surface grind, drill holes, HT, surface grind to final thickness taking light cuts, scribe edge and spine, then grind in bevels. I've had too many warp after HT when bevels were already ground. It's tougher on belts but it beats throwing a warped chunk of steel away.
cdhumiston said:
When working with a thinner steel for kitchen knives do you profile the blade and heat treat before grinding the bevels? Is warping a problem?

Thanks,
Click to expand...
 
I grind post HT as well, I want to make some paring knives thats probably a good place to try and meets butchers spec, like he says the HT will need to be spot on and I will have to keep that baby cool. I dont think would turn someone loose with 0.003 but may do one for myself. I love cooking with a great knife and really love using the kitchen knives that I have made but extra this would be great.

Are going for the hard end of the HT 58-60 or let the edge flex a bit 56 -58??
 
i part grind blades tht are 3/32 thick . 1/16 parer blades i jsut put a 45 degree starter edge (so i dont strip grit off the belt as fast)

on my cpm154 and O1 blades i run 62 hardness
remember that flex is from the steel thickness not the hardness softer blades take a set bend faster and hard blades brake at about that same point but they will both flex


Patrickknives said:
I grind post HT as well, I want to make some paring knives thats probably a good place to try and meets butchers spec, like he says the HT will need to be spot on and I will have to keep that baby cool. I dont think would turn someone loose with 0.003 but may do one for myself. I love cooking with a great knife and really love using the kitchen knives that I have made but extra this would be great.

Are going for the hard end of the HT 58-60 or let the edge flex a bit 56 -58??
Click to expand...
 
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