what have i got into

butcher_block

butcher_block

Joined
Dec 6, 2004
Messages
6,212
yep i done it now i need to make a knife for a friend his bootcamp ARMY is over in just about 5 weeks he s in demo i have the shape i will be using and i think 3/16 thick, dont want the heft of 1/4 i know its splitting hairs ;) the prob is the steel :footinmou D2 cpm3V 440c ats34 not sure what i want to use / would make a better knife my friend is not the best at keeping his knives clean/dry but he is good to them other wize
so yes i asked the bad ? pls no pissing matches i just need a little push down the right path
btw my forging skill wil not be used i have little thanks again semper fi
 
Unless it's a huge blade, 3/16 should be plenty beefy.

All of the alloys you have mentioned (and CPM S30V, S60V, and S90v which you left out) have reputations for being challenging to work with. Since they're all high in chrome and several are high in vanadium, they resist abrasive wear well, but that includes grinding and filing.

Also, unless you have a heattreat furnace, you'll probably have to send the blade away for heat treat if you're using these materials. They require major heat (1750º+) to harden.

If you're still gung-ho for high-tech steel, consider CPM S30V. By many accounts it's a perfectly balanced knife steel. If not, reconsider 1084, 1095, O1, etc. Those carbon steels are easier to work, heat treat, and sharpen, and resist rust better than you'd think if you polish them (and maybe blue them). And they're tough. They don't fully harden all the way through, so you get some strong softer steel in the core, kinda like a japanese sword. Besides, if he's gonna be a soldier, he should learn to take care of his gear, IMHO.

Just my $.02.

-Allin
 
Just a note, DO NOT send the knife with him to boot or his AIT. Wait until he gets his first perminant duty station. He will only have to get rid of if it goes with him, and may very ewll get him in trouble. You have some time before he is out of Basic and AIT, so take your time and make it just the way you want. As far as teh specs on your knife, I will leave that to the experts on this forum. I am a very new maker.
 
i am getting a kiln but no cryo yet and i have also heard how hard cpm steel can be to work
blade is 7" not some kind of rambo knife
im tring to save him from braking the spyderco he has now i was a mortor man and know how many things i pryed open

to add who has worked with or used cpm3v crucible data sheet looks like it might work well
 
I have similar projects going on for some buddies of mine in the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, respectively. I was hoping to use D2 or ATS-34 for the blades, but I'm still pretty inexperienced at heat treating (which I want to do myself, since I built myself a small forge for it) so I think I might make them out of 01 or 1095 and include some oil with the knife.
 
I think you guys have youre hearts in the right places, but consider this (hate to sound like Gollnick):

These are your best buddies right?

Do you really want to send them into battle using your first attempts at knifemaking with these high alloy steels? If I was Kit Carson or Pat Crawford, I might not think twice about sending a buddy off with a knife I built as his last ditch weapon, but I'm not. Until I have proven myself better as a knifemaker, I'd like my blades used in less critical applications. I wouldn't want my learning curve to cause a tool to fail at a critical time when someone needs it most. I'd rather spend the money and just buy the guy a well proven design from a tested source, whether it's Camillus or Strider.

Some day I'll have more confidence in my own knives, but I'm just starting out and don't want anyone to suffer because I'm still learning..

Just my opinion.

John
 
point well taken jmxcpter he will get his knife later after i can test the hell out of the new steel and heat treat
while i dont think he will be getting into anything critical
part of my moto (and i hope i didnt just remember it from somewhere)
prepare for the worst hope for the best
i will not let something of mine fail because that would mean i failed
 
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