This should be enlightening Steve and a good starting point for new smiths.

In my shop, I normally use 1084, 1095, 1075, 5160, 9260, and W-2 of course. For the majority of my knives the steel will be 1084 or W-2. 5160 and 9260 are used for larger choppers or bowies. For knives with hamons it will be W-2, 1095, or 1075. My favorites are 1084 and W-2. Most of my steel comes from the New Jersey Steel Baron. The main reason for this being I know what is in it and what the specifications are. Plus Aldo is a great guy. The standard sizes I use are

1/4" X 1 1/4"

1/4" X 1 1/2"

1/4" X 1"

I also use some thicker bars every now and then, such as .262 and 3/8"

My damascus mix is 1084 and 15N20. This welds up good, heat treats well, and shows nice contrast.

One thing I will say is use a known steel from a good source. If you use a leaf spring from say an old truck, do you know what the steel is? Could be 5160, could be something else. Do you know what kind of stress it has been placed under? Does it have hidden cracks or issues inside the steel? You just do not know. You can guess, but then your heat treating would be a guess too. If you have steel like this and feel you must make a knife with it, you really need to make test knives so you can be sure about your heat treating and how the knive will stand up to use. Go to one of the known steel suppliers and get a known steel. It is not that expensive and it eliminates unknown variables.

Brion

This is always a fun topic if people explainn why they like a particular steel.

My two favorite steels for straight high carbon blades are W2 and 52100. I bought a batch of W2 back in the 1980s that will likely last me through this lifetime and then some. My stock of W2 ranges from 1.5 x .25 inches to 2 x 2 inches to 1.5 round stock. The 52100 that I have is pretty much 1.5 and 2.0 inch round stock and I have a 500 lbs of it. I have a chemical analysis of the W2 when it was initially purchased and it came in at 1.03 Carbon content. It was important to me to have a copy of the company's analysis of the steel since W2 can range from .8 to 1.1 in carbon content. I also wanted to be sure it was really W2 and not W1 so the presence of vanadium in the mix needed to be verified.

My 52100 is 52100 and meets the alloy designation.

Bill Moran turned me on to W2 back in 1981. However, that is not why I use it. It is a bit more forgiving than the 10XX series steels with vanadium acting as a grain refiner. Carbides formed with vanadium are very hard and add to its edge holding capabilities. Some studies have shown grain size in excess of a 12 with W2 and rapid heating/quench cycles. W2 still has a few issues that need attention simply because it is a hypereutectic steel. Overall, it is a great steel from my perspective.

I like 52100 because its alloy composition presents a variety of options depending on what the smith desires as a final outcomes. First, it is the primary bearing steel used in most bearings. It is an exceptionally clean steel produced under high quality control in most steel production companies. 52100 can be heat treated to produce a blade with excellent edge holding properties. Its heat treatment is a bit tricky and all that carbon (1.05) plus the other alloys tends to require some precise control to get the most out of the steel. 52100 can also be austempered to produce lower bainite or a mix of bainite and martensite. Control of temperature can allow it to result in a very tough steel almost resembling 5160 in toughness by controlling how much carbon goes into solution. 52100 has enough chromium in the mix that those large forming carbides can be a problem on the grain boundaries and sperodization is important. To get the best out of this steel the smith needs precise control of temperature and time at all phases in the heat treat. I like it and I am still learning about it.

Dan

Since the bulk of the blades that I make these days are of damascus, I use mostly 1084 & 15N20. I have experimented some with others but always come back to these two as I don't know of any that are more compatable and easy to use.

The only powder that I use is 1080(sometimes w/either 2 or 4% nickel) which I consider to be pretty much the same.

When a beginning knife maker I, like many, was tempted to use "the flavor of the month" steel. I now tend to stick to those that I use on a daily basis. I did buy a supply of W2 a couple of years back but haven't used it enough to be comfortable with it yet. I need to do more testing with it before I am confident that I can build a quality blade from it. [I was taught years ago to believe that the quality of a blade is more contengient on getting the most out of a piece of steel more than it is in the type of steel that one uses.]

I believe that one should never quit learning and I'm always interested in the opinion of those of you who have been at it much longer than I.

Good topic!

Gary

Gary,

I appreciated your comment on "flavor of the month" steel. I agree that it is better to research the documentation on a particular steel and then experiment with it to find out what works best with your heat tx equipment and shop. I am not suggesting once you buy steel you should never try any other steels. I am only suggesting that there is a developmental process when a smith starts using a steel. All the science and empiricism aside (I hold these things dear) there nuances in forging and heat treating that come with experience with a steel. I am still learning.

As to damascus I tend to use W2 and 203E in proportions that should result in a final carbon level of around .7 to .8 carbon after carbon migration. I also will use W2 and 15N20. More recently I sandwich damascus onto W2 and then heat treat as though I were heat treating only to the W2 which is what the blade edge actually is.

Dan

Dan,

Thanks for the reply. You inspire me to get to get to know W2 better. (If you are going to be in Little Rock in Feb., I would love to talk more about it.)

Gary

I primarily use 5160 for most of my blades. I have used it enough to feel comfortable with the heat treat I use. I get good results as to edge holding and toughness. I use 1084 also, for the same reasons. I use a combination of 1084 and 15n20 for damascus. I too tried the "flavor of the monthe" for a while and soon realized I was not getting the results I was looking for. I have some W2 that I plan to use as soon as I have the time to learn more about it. For now I'll stick with what I know I can make the best blade from.

Dale

I have tried several steels. The high carbon ones have been 1084, 1095, 5160, and O-1. All of these I have done the research and testing (most of them to destruction) on after heat treating. In the end I make almost all of my knives from O-1. I can't really put into words why I like this steel so much, it just seems to "feel right" to me. I know it makes a killer knife, I really like the way a 400 or 600 grit satin looks on it compared to the others. The simple steels (1084, 1095) seem slightly dull and life less compared to the O-1 and the 5160 tends to show some grain structure when you look at it really closely. I have yet to try a mirror finish on the )-1, but I have a knife planned for a mirror finish so I will be trying a small sample soon. Anyone have any experience putting a mirror finish on these steels? Which one would you suggest?