What steels are more durable?

My answer to "Best knife steel for X" is always … "The best steel for X is the steel you have the equipment, experience, and ability to use." If you skill set and equipment are for 1084, then that is the best steel. If you have the knowledge and equipment for S90V, then that may be the best steel, … etc.

My BEST steel is generally S35VN. It is stainless, has a great edge, long edge life, and is pretty darn tough. … and I know how to work it.
 
Completely agree. Up to this point, all of my blades have been made with O1 for this very reason. I do my stock removal on a KMG with a flat plate attachment, small wheel adapter, and a crude homemade jig. This has worked well on the O1 blades I've made. My understanding (and I would welcome correction here) is that these tools will do a good job on pretty much any steel that I choose. I will be the weak link. Part of this project is the fun of challenging myself and learning to work with a better steel. If I were doing the HT myself, the challenge would be significantly more difficult. Due to the cost of the equipment needed for that, and the small number of blades that I make, it's more cost effective for me to send blades out to someone who actually knows how to HT. Without that limitation, I'm free to explore what ever steel tickles my fancy :-)
 
fields_mj said:
Completely agree. Up to this point, all of my blades have been made with O1 for this very reason. I do my stock removal on a KMG with a flat plate attachment, small wheel adapter, and a crude homemade jig. This has worked well on the O1 blades I've made. My understanding (and I would welcome correction here) is that these tools will do a good job on pretty much any steel that I choose. I will be the weak link. Part of this project is the fun of challenging myself and learning to work with a better steel. If I were doing the HT myself, the challenge would be significantly more difficult. Due to the cost of the equipment needed for that, and the small number of blades that I make, it's more cost effective for me to send blades out to someone who actually knows how to HT. Without that limitation, I'm free to explore what ever steel tickles my fancy :)
Click to expand...

If you are sending it out there are a lot of steels that will give you more performance. I have never used O1 but it is commonly recommended that without a oven you don't get the full potential of the steel and 1084 and 80CrV2 will do better with a simple forge. I prefer 15n20 because of its rust resistance compared to other simple steels. Now that we know you have a grinder it's a bit easier to recommend things. You have 2 paths basically for more performance. You can go stainless or tool steels. Tool steels because of their alloy content do tend to have some rust resistance compared to simple carbon steels. Since a bushcraft knife could be used hard, for instance some sort of emergency, I would think that you would want a steel with a fair bit of toughness. Since you don't seem to care for AEB-L I will recommend 3V again since it seems to be one of the top recommendations for bushcraft knives. You aren't really giving us any where to go with recommendations is hard to know where to go. Stacy recommends S35VN. It's a great stainless. Cru-wear/Z wear should do great as well. It's not just the steel when you get these higher alloys. It can depend on where you are getting it treated and for some it can depend on what you tell them to do. For instance I love M4. I have had several folders and plan on using it and M2 for my chef knives. I can tell you that at 66Rc M2 is fantastic in the kitchen and would be horrible as a bushcraft knife. Once you get those steels down where they are tough enough to do well in the outdoors are they better than other steels like Z wear? I don't know I plan to find out but it's going to cost me a few hundred bucks in steel and belts.

Let's try this. I will recommend 3V at 59-60 Rc. You do some research and see if it fits your needs. Watch Nathan Carothers/Nathen the Machinist YouTube video about his experiments with it. That's his special heat treatment but I hear that Peter's does a good job with it. If that's not what you want pick out some specifics about why it won't fill you needs and that will give people a better place to work from.
 
It didn't dawn on me that the grinder made a difference in the recommendations. My apologies. I knew better than that. Just spaced it.

3V looks pretty impressive. While I've been happy with my O1 blades, I have had a few small chips over the years. They are only 1/8" thick, and I use a shallow grind so they are easy to cut with. I originally chose O1 because I had made a few cutting tools with it back when I worked in a machine shop. It was easy enough to heat treat in the shop with a torch and motor oil for that purpose, so I felt comfortable trying to heat treat it at home without special equipment. I think 3V will allow me to keep a similar geometry and give me the tougher blade I'm looking for.

Random thought/question: Would 3V make a good fillet knife?

I have some S30V, but it's 1/4" thick. Too thick for what I want to do. Maybe I can take it into the shop and use a mill to get it down around 1/8".
 
Don't waste steel by grinding half of it away. Set it aside for some thick blade project. Since you are sending it out for HT, I suggest trying S35VN. My only major tip would be to do the pre-HT sanding to a very good 400 grit, and leave the edge at around .010" thick. Get EVERY deep scratch out. Like most high alloy stainless steels, S35VN is a good bit harder to sand after hardening ;). I like the blades at Rc60-61 for kitchen knives.
 
I'm not sure that I ever found the YouTube video you were referring to, but based on the videos I did find, 3V with that HT is exactly what I'm looking for. 3V at 62 Rc with that level of durability is impressive to say the least. In fact, the little bushcraft blade is very close to what I want to make. I've chipped my O1 blades a few times while field dressing and butchering deer. Not a big deal to fix, but that's what has me looking for tougher steel. I've processed a similar chip out of an S30V (Benchmade) and it wasn't fun. I'd be willing to try S35VN at some point, but I'm going to go with 3V for now because I think it will also make a great fillet knife and I've never been impressed with the edge retention of any fillet knife I've used. Since I use a fillet knife for the bulk of my game processing, learning to work with it would probably give me the most bang for my buck. Seems like it would also make great kitchen knives since my wife believes these are more of a multi purpose kitchen tool than a fine cutting tool... Now I need to start learning about the tricks of working with 3V, and who can do the HT I'm looking for.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
My answer to "Best knife steel for X" is always … "The best steel for X is the steel you have the equipment, experience, and ability to use." If you skill set and equipment are for 1084, then that is the best steel. If you have the knowledge and equipment for S90V, then that may be the best steel, … etc.

My BEST steel is generally S35VN. It is stainless, has a great edge, long edge life, and is pretty darn tough. … and I know how to work it.
Click to expand...

I just started using S35VN and really like it. I made a pass around chef that the guy I let try is reluctant to give back even though he gets to try a new pass around. Do you have any tips for the heat treatment? I'm going to try a chef and a petty out of it this week.

F fields_mj I'm not a expert with 3V. I recommend it because it's a popular steel for that type of knife. It's my understanding that it's best at around 59-60 Rc. You can an ask around but I have heard that the toughness falls off after that.
 
I think I would be happy with 3V at 59 Rc. I only mentioned 62 because Mr Carothers mentioned that hardness in conjunction with his specific HT provess during his video on his bushcraft knife. That blade finaly chipped when he hammered it through the concrete block. I don't plan on hammering through concrete, but my blade will be hammered through bone on occasion. I'm not sure if I can have someone do that specific HT on my blade or not, but I think it will work well for me either way.
 
3V heat treated properly will excel at RC 62 for what you are looking to use it for.
 
I make S35VN fillet blades from .070 stock. At that thickness I profile and drill the holes, and then do HT. The bevels are ground in post-HT with lots of water dunking to keep the temper. Since you are barely taking any metal off, it goes fast. The edge holding is really great. They will get very sharp, too.
 
fields_mj said:
I think I would be happy with 3V at 59 Rc. I only mentioned 62 because Mr Carothers mentioned that hardness in conjunction with his specific HT provess during his video on his bushcraft knife. That blade finaly chipped when he hammered it through the concrete block. I don't plan on hammering through concrete, but my blade will be hammered through bone on occasion. I'm not sure if I can have someone do that specific HT on my blade or not, but I think it will work well for me either way.
Click to expand...
I might suggest that you consider the Profile of the edge if you intend to Hammer through Bone....A Full Flat Fine edge is great as a slicer but will certainly be more prone to chipping regardless of the steel. A better Profile would be Convex where you have more steel shoulder behind the edge less likely to chip and if it rolls easier to push back and sharpen.

When it comes time to Heat Treat contact Brad at Peters Heat Treating they do quite a bit of 3V and I believe they worked with Nathan when he was developing heat treat for his knives they have the knowledge and equipment to get you a properly heat treated blade.
 
Busto said:
better Profile would be Convex/QUOTE]

That's the plan. Remove most of the material with a flat platen, then add a light curve with a rotary platen ( which I still have to build).

Thanks for the recommendation on the heat treat!
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top