Which high carbon stainless for slip joints?

JC in SC

JC in SC

Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Messages
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After visiting Bruce Bump's forum over on Knife Dogs, I've gotten really interested in trying to make a slip joint. I've been looking around at what steel some of our slippie makers here on BF are using for blades and springs. It looks like ATS-34, CPM154 and A2 arel popular choices. I'm going to have to buy whatever I end up selecting, so I'm not particularly partial to any steel over another. Any recommendations? I'm kind of leaning towards CPM154 as it looks to have a great blend of corrosion and wear resistance, but I would have to send it out for HT if cryo is required. Otherwise, I have heat treating capabilities max out around 2100 or 2200 degrees F, so maybe I should go with an air hardening steel. Does anyone have experience with Sandvic 12C27 or 13C26 in slip joint applications? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
JC
 
CPM 154 is a good choice,I use it almost exclusively and use it in liner locks and frame locks.You could H/T it yourself,it benefits from cryo but is not required for it to make a good blade.
Stan
 
Thanks for the mention JC. I have experience with Sandvic 13c26 and their 19c27. It is relative inexpensive and is known as "the heat treaters dream steel" according to Paul Bos in a Blade Magazine article a while back. I once asked him the best steel to use and he relied "They are all good".
Thickness is something you need to think about. It seems we knifemakers are stuck with whatever thickness is available in the steels we want to use. A surface grinder made my life easier.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. Yeah, it looks like I can get a 0.100" x 1" x 72" stick of 13C26 or 12C27 for about the same price as a 36" stick of CPM154 of the same width and thickness. Looks like it should be easier to heat treat and take a better polish at the expense of some wear resistance. So far, Admiral Steel is the only place I've been able to find it.

Thanks again,
JC
 
I like to use the air hardening sence you can also do a plate quench, this makes sure that springs and small parts stay flat or can be surface ground pretty lightly.
 
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