What are people's opinions on CruForgeV?

cotdt

cotdt

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Oct 2, 2006
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How does CruforgeV compare to steels like O1 and 52100? Is it an improvement? My calculations show that this steel is basically 1084-1086 with carbides (assuming the V forms monocarbides) which is why it interests me. I like Fastenal's O1 which also has a bit of vanadium.

How is the depth of hardening? It's an oil-quenching steel but what if it is thick 5/16" stock?
 
It forges nicely and seems to harden quite well. Even a hack like me can get a nasty edge on the stuff. Don't try to compare the vandadium content to something like O1. It has just enough vanadium to make it a PITA to hand sand. That should tell you a little about its potential wear resistance. :D
 
Thanks for the informative reply. What about tempering it? The datasheets say 400F temper gives 61 rc yet a member reported 415F giving 62 rc. What gives?
 
I've never made anything with it, but I bought a knife made by Matt Bailey that is made from the stuff, and WOW I love how it sharpens and feels. he even got a decent hamon out of it which I guess it's not exactly designed to do that.

Fair warning though, I live in a salt-air pacific coast environment (4 blocks from the water) and it took all of 3 days out of the box for the steel to rust. :-O Make sure it's well oiled all of the time if you're in a hostile environment.
 
It is a eutectoid steel with vanadium to increase hardenability and edge holding. Forges well and makes a great knife. Ultra simple HT.

As to claims about ,"......I got RcXX.X at YYY degreesF...." a persons readings are only relative to his testing equipment and the accuracy of his pyrometers. YRMV.
 
I did a lot of experimenting/testing with it a while back. After several blades, I found that in most ways it's nearly identical to Aldo's 1084....in fact, through out the entire process, I doubt most experienced folks would be able to tell the difference.

When Crucible went "belly up" I quit working with it. My thought was that the source(s) might dry up, and I wasn't going to waste time on something that might become extinct. If a stable supply become available I may continue with it, but since my testing has revealed that the finished blades of CruForge V are nearly identical in every aspect to 1084.....and having a decent supply of 1084 on hand, for me it's not worth it just to tell someone that the blade is made of CruForge.
 
I think 1.05% C makes it a hypereutectoid. Everything else that's been said is spot on. Forges easy, super easy heat treat, takes a razor edge just like 1084. The chrome/vanadium alloying makes me think they almost dug up some wrench formula and used that... back in the day, 'good' quality wrenches and sockets all had "chrome - vanadium" stamped into them.
 
The chrome was added at the end of the development process to make it roll easier. From what I was told by Dan Farr and the other guys who played around with it early on, it was originally formulated with just the vanadium and manganese.
 
Crucible has something to the tune of 60,000 pounds of this stuff... unless a production company steps up to the pump, my guess is there will be no shortage.

Ed, I have no idea how you didn't manage to find any difference between 1084 and CruForgeV. I had to switch to different sandpapers to hand sand this stuff, as my normal shop rolls wouldn't touch it. A very safe estimation of 20% improvement in both wear resistance and toughness are my experiences. I'm grinding big chopping knives much thinner as a subsequent result, with vast improvements in performance. I just don't understand how a steel with so much vanadium carbide couldn't possibly better a simple carbon steel for you?:confused:
 
Maybe I was doing something differently with the CruForge, but I honestly found it to be very similar in just about every aspect when compared to Aldo's 1084. The Black Ice paper that I use for hand finishing worked just as well on the CruForge as it does 1084.
The testing that I accomplished before Crucible went under was in no way complete, as it consisted of mostly "hunter" sized blades, with only one being 9"+. I was somewhat surprised testing the cutting ability side by side with 1084, because I had heard all the claims of a 20% increase in performance by simply using the steel, and anticipated that going into it... I didn't find it to be true.
The reason I discontinued using it was that when I called, I was told that there was approx. 8,000 pounds available, and once that was gone, nobody had any idea if it would ever be available again.
Now, if NSM is going to offer it, and plans to continue it's availability, I may very well go back to it, and work with it again....who knows, with more time, it might be something that I like better than 1084.
 
Aldo's 1085FG is quite similar to cruforgeV. Both have a bit of manganese and some vanadium. I, too, find them nearly the same. I get my 1084 from Aldo. n my last post, I failed to mention that the vanadium is also a grain refiner.
 
According to the specs I have seen, the CruForgeV has 3 times the vanadium of Don Hnason's W2, so a LOT more than the 1084. I am also using Black Ice and my experience, which was confirmed by Mike Barton when he was over at my shop, is that CruForge basically dulls the paper after a couple of strokes.
 
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