Which steel for a custom?? I need help

inlikeflynt56 said:
This was one of the more intelligent threads I've read here in a bit.
Though similar in subject to some previously posted threads i.e. The Oneder Blade, Big Chris and Ankerson
provided just the right amount of technical input to make it an enjoyable read and finish it to it's entirety.
Thanks guys!
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Edge and blade geometry can and will make a big difference.

If the knife is going to be thick then the steel choice won't matter as much because of the added thickness of the blade and behind the edge thickness, add in 20 degrees per side edge geometry and the steel choices really broaden for a harder use knife.

That's a normal size knife like 5" blade or so, say 3/16" spine and in the .030" to .035" thickness behind the edge range one can use some of the higher wear steels without much of an issue.

Those steels aren't exactly weak or brittle, they are tool steels so they can take it.

I was thinking the knife would have been thinner earlier in the thread so that was my reasoning behind what I posted, but with a Bravo 1 type knife that is thick and in the 8 oz range it doesn't matter as much.
 
Here is a basic example of 2 different types of knives, one is a hard use knife while the other is a cutter/slicer. This is just for reference only so people can relate to the differences between the two types of knives being talked about here.

Both are in M390 Steel.....

One is in the .038" range behind the edge while the other is in the .006" range.

One is at 20 DPS while the other is at 10 DPS.

One weighs 6.5 oz while the other is 3.6 oz

What knife would one batton through wood, breast bones etc?

What knife would be better or easier to work with for skinning, cleaning, quartering etc?

What knife would hold an edge longer?

What knife would be easier to sharpen?


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Big Chris said:
^^ Joe pretty well hit the nail on the head. PD 1, 4V, Vandis 4, and Z Wear, they are all basically in the same very small arena. Extremely similar compositions with just very very minor differences. I have been looking into these steels a lot lately as I just made some knives from Z Wear and wanted to really see how they compared. So far of that group PD 1 is may #1 choice for a really hard use knife. I made a large camp knife and was not easy or gentle with it, and it came away without even a burr on the edge. PD 1 is currently only available in .220" thickness for knives. I have been in contact with several people about some thinner stock, which should come available later this year.
On Z Wear, I just reground a 5" bladed knife I made to a zero convex and then added a micro bevel. I did this to test both edge retention and stability. The edge is about .005" behind the edge. The micro bevel is less than .010" tall on it's own so that gives you an idea how thin the edge is. So far edge retention is superb, but with the little chopping I did last night some small burrs did show but no chips. The edge was still extremely smooth when drug across the thumbnail. These will easily be removed with an XX fine diamond and strop.
What you have to remember here is that I am working with an edge just thicker than a hair on your head. The knife you will want made is going to have an edge that can be measured with a machinist scale (ruler). I will eventually test to extreme edge failure on this very thin cross section.
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If you don't mind my asking and I apologize for going off-topic, could you elaborate on the zero convex with a microbevel? What are the advantages and how is that physically achieved? I've never been able to do a convex edge I felt I did a good job with.
 
Those 2 shots of the edge bevel really show the differences in edge thickness.
 
Well the way its looking is i'm going to be using cts pd-1 I think. I'll call the maker tomorrow to discuss it. But thats what I think i'm set on. Now we just need to work on geometry and handles.
 
PD#1 isn't a stainless, but it's not a bad ruster. It will pit if left to rust long enough. I would suggest a design that allows you to remove the grips for occasional cleaning and treating with whatever you use on your tools.
 
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