I hate you

:boohoo





why this time?

cause you got some cool new steel to work with

Want to make our collab out of it?



Just to keep in the materials topic. I have been working with the steel geeks at Carpenter Technologies for about a year now.

They do science and I try to break their stuff. It's pretty fun, me in community collage tell the PHDs what needs to happen! (I totally make 23% of my numbers up on the spot.)

Anyway, they have a great steel called CTS-XHP that I have really taken a liking too! Easy to work with, for the maker and the user, cuts great, resists stains.

As Mr Bill can attest too it's pretty tough, he tried to break my XHP test knife at Blade show, but ended up just breaking a table.

Now they are trying to refine other steels out there, thus the Powdered 42 that Ken is so jealous of.

I can post more info on the Carpenter steels if there is interest, or I can start a new thread about it, if that is better.

Let me know what you guys would like.

Thanks :munchin

New steel
 

Yeah, I'd like to know more about it!!!

Don't cry on the steel... we don't know exactly how stain resistant it is yet and the collaboration might have polka dots. :D

Les,
Please keep us posted on the Carpenter Steels.

It might be best if you started a new thread for the Carpenter steels as this could get complicated all on it's own.

The BG-42 steel was what Bob Loveless used for his tough use knives. I would love to see the working results of that alloy in a particle metal steel.

oh yeah, they don't make tables like they used to. :D

Mr. Harsey,

I was hoping you could divulge on the general heat treatment and sharpening process that you use in shop.

As I've read time and time again, the heat treatment process is seemingly just as important as the candidate material that you choose to work with. Through the little that I've learned concerning the process as a whole, its never been clear as to the chronological steps during heat treatment; I know that its standard to twice temper the material, as well as annealing and quenching, but in what order do these take place?

Secondly, I'm curious as to the sharpening parameters when producing a knife. I'm guessing that the strength of the metal, the size of the carbides, and the geometry play a roll in the final dimensions of the cutting edge, how is this determined?

SF med, I made a test knife out of this steel about 3 months ago and did some extensive testing for about a week. Cardboard slicing, over 1,000 slices, crossgrain batoning in wood knots, 100 push cuts in 5/8" diameter manila rope, also push cut through a 591 page Northern Tool catalog and other wood work such as whittling and batoning through seasoned oak. Never sharpened the knife and the edge was still very serviceable. After I was finished, I did resharpen.
Since then, I have been using as much as possible over the last three months. Just recently I gutted, skinned and butchered three whitetail deer using the knife. Even though it didn't need it, I did touch up the edge with my Schrade Honesteel. Edge holding and edge strength is exceptional.
Scott

Scott.... Bill has asked me to try and break some of his designs... I'd be more than happy to try and break a knife for you also... :D

LOL, I appreciate the offer. :D There are many of my blades in the hands of our military's finest warriors.
Scott

knifes and hatchetts
 

I have made good knives and threw away about as many as I have made. I mostly use the stock removal style. How ever I have hammered out a few.
The metal I have used most often is saw mill blades. Which is usally L-6 high carbon steel. I am making 2 now out of a kyser blade that the handle broke on. I have 10 or so blanks I have already ground out. I usally harden the knives in oil and then draw them back to temper. I like for the handles to be a little softer than the blades because the steel is so hard to drill. I am dyslexic
so please forgive my spelling.
I have made knives for people that drew out what they wanted. I also make hatchets out of t-500 boiler plate. My hatchets are very tough and do not bend or brake. I usally harden knives to 56 to 61 Rockwell hardness and hatchets to 54 to 58 . I do not sell knives but will trade for something else. If I buy my steel from the knife makers supply , I will charge for the steel's cost and I also put German silver on the handles. I do not care for stainless steel knives, they just will not sharpen like high carbon steel. But carbon steel will rust. I mirrow polish the blades. I have though about adonozing the blades but iI like them shiney . I do hope I have not trepased by making this reply. I am in my 60's and would love to pass along what I had to gleen very hard for. An old man named Skagel started making hand made knives and they were sent to G.I. during W.W.II he did not charge for them but they were highly prized by all who received them.
I do not buy or collect knives. I am a Fox Fire person and Fox Fire 1 is my favorite book. De Opresso Liber

CPM-S-30V versus CPM-S-35VN. Can someone compare and contrast? :munchin

The chemical composition of the two steels are slightly different.

The higher Vanadium content of S30V causes the steel to form more vanadium carbides, giving the steel higher wear resistance, but making the steel harder to work, and leaves little possibility for putting a mirror finish on a blade made of S30V.

The slightly lower Vanadium content of S35VN makes the steel easier to grind, drill, mill, and polish, and the addition of Niobium (formerly known as Columbian/Columbium) prevents sacrificing a significant measure of wear resistance, while making the steel more versatile.

So to boil it down, S35VN is easier to work, less prone to micro-chipping at higher hardness, and has only slightly less wear resistance than S30V. That's where my knowledge ends on the subject.

The niobium in S35VN also helps give it a finer grain structure.

Bottom line on S35VN: Tougher and better wear resistance than S30V. And from my personal experiences, better corrosion resistance, despite having the same amount of chromium, and despite the data sheet claiming it is the same for both steels.

In my opinion, S35 is the steel that S30 should have been. It's crazy how just a little tweak in the chemistry can make such a big difference.

Here, data sheet for S35: http://www.crucible.com/PDFs%5CDataS...VNrev12010.pdf