Tool Steel

[kbrouwer]

I relatively familiar with "knife steels" but not so much with tool steels. Does anyone know which knife steels 01 and D2 compare to, by knife steels I mean like 440C, S30V, 154CM, etc.

Thanks

[michaelm466]

Well for D2, its close in qualities to S30V, minus a small amount of edge holding since it lacks S30V's carbides, although it can be pushed to a higher RC to make up for that, and of course corrosion resistance. I'm not sure about O1 other than its much like 1095 with a little added edge holding because of some extra carbides. It won't hold an edge like the newer stainless steels but it will be much easier to sharpen, much less rust resistant, it will also be tougher.

[MachSchnell]

CTS-XHP has been touted as a stainless version of D2.

As for O-1, there really isn't anything in the stainless range to compare it to; potatoes to pumpkins really (trying to be festive :D )

[chuck_roxas45]

CTS-XHP has been touted as a stainless version of D2.

As for O-1, there really isn't anything in the stainless range to compare it to; potatoes to pumpkins really (trying to be festive :D )

What about AUS-8?

[Divo]

Look here
http://www.simplytoolsteel.com/knife-st ... chart.html

Other comparisons you will find in the navigation tree on that page

[MachSchnell]

What about AUS-8?

AUS-8
Carbon (C) 0.70-0.75 Chromium (Cr) 13.00-14.50
Cobalt (Co) -- Niobium (Nb) --
Copper (Cu) -- Manganese (Mn) 0.50
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.10-0.30 Nickel (Ni) 0.49
Nitrogen (N) -- Phosphorus (P) 0.04
Silicon (Si) 1.00 Sulphur (S) 0.03
Tungsten (W) -- Vanadium (V) 0.10-0.26

O-1
Carbon (C) 0.85-1.00 Chromium (Cr) 0.40-0.60
Cobalt (Co) -- Niobium (Nb) --
Copper (Cu) -- Manganese (Mn) 1.00-1.40
Molybdenum (Mo) -- Nickel (Ni) 0.30
Nitrogen (N) -- Phosphorus (P) --
Silicon (Si) 0.50 Sulphur (S) --
Tungsten (W) 0.50 Vanadium (V) 0.30

[Antonio_Luiz]

I relatively familiar with "knife steels" but not so much with tool steels. Does anyone know which knife steels 01 and D2 compare to, by knife steels I mean like 440C, S30V, 154CM, etc.

Thanks

Why limit the comparison to 01 and D2

http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelchart.php

Of course - just talking about the steel used without considering all the other parameters like shape/profile/heat-treat......... is not going to give you all the answers.

When it comes to tool steels used in knives I kinda like M4

[Cliff Stamp]

I relatively familiar with "knife steels" but not so much with tool steels. Does anyone know which knife steels 01 and D2 compare to, by knife steels I mean like 440C, S30V, 154CM, etc.

Thanks

Compare to in what way exactly? What properties are you wanting to know are similar?

[kbrouwer]

Compare to in what way exactly? What properties are you wanting to know are similar?

Just the way it preforms, like ATS34 preforms similarly to 154CM

[diver15]

Here is some analysis on some of the steels you mentioned and some basic info about steel. It may be basic but I hope it clears some things up
Carbon steels are defined as containing between .05-1.7 wt% carbon
Stainless steels are similar but contain at least 10.5 wt% chromium
Tool steels are steels with .7-1.5 % carbon and usually have very specific heat treatment

Steel is also crystalline in nature, the various elements in the steel and the heat treatment determine the crystal structure and properties. Alloying elements effect the steel by filling vacancies in the crystal lattice and causing lattice strains which have varying effects on the materials mechanical properties.

O-1 steel for example: contains around .9 wt % C, this means that this is a high carbon steel, the O in the steel name refers to the fact that this steel was oil quenched and air hardened. The means by which the steel is quenched have a profound effect on the crystal morphology. Looking at the Fe-C phase diagram attached you can see that upon slow cooling from gama iron (Austenite) an alloy of .9 wt % C will precipitate dendrites of Austenite bordered by cementite (Iron carbide or Fe3C). As the alloy cools the Austenite will transform into pearlite giving the steel a fine microstructure, The cementite gives the steel great hardness and allows you to make the steel sharp but also causes the steel to be brittle. The tungsten elements will probably form tungsten carbide, another compound that will make the blade extremely sharp. The vanadium and nickle will help to make the blade tougher and less brittle. corrosion could be a problem with this blade though as the chromium content is very low (.4-.6 wt %)

440C steel: This steel contains a comparable carbon content to O-1, between 1-1.2 wt % C, a difference might be the increased amount of cementite. The biggest difference is the Chromium content (17.5 wt % Cr) which changes the bulk and surface chemistry of the steel, blocking corrosion making this a true stainless steel. Because of the absence of tungsten, Molybdenum is used as a hardening agent. Molybdenum can fit in interstitial sites and vacancies of the unit cells of the crystals, causing lattice strain which hardens the steel. Some possible problems with this steel are the presence of phosphorus, sulfur and silicon, all of which may cause the steel to be brittle.

[ATTACH]21030[/ATTACH]

[diver15]

Here is a picture of some iron cubic cells that represent the crystalline nature of the steel micro-structure

[ATTACH]21031[/ATTACH]

[Cliff Stamp]

Just the way it preforms, like ATS34 preforms similarly to 154CM

O1 is a high carbide (relative to 5160 etc.) steel which has a high obtainable hardness (62-64 HRC, though usually ran much softer), high grindability and moderate toughness. For stainless it would be comparable to steels like AEB-L (8Cr13MoV, etc).

D2 is an high to extremely high carbide steel, huge carbide aggregates, moderate obtainable hardness (usually ran 58-60 HRC), extremely low grindability and low toughness. For stainless it would be comparable to 440C, ATS-34 etc. .

[JD Spydo]

One tool steel that has blown me away performance wise is "S7". With this current axe, hatchet, tomahawk craze going on a good friend of mine spent about 4 hard earned C-Notes on a tactical Viet Nam Type, custom made tomahawk that is made with S7.

I was blown away at the shock resistance that tool steel has. I was wondering if it is a tool steel that is used mainly for striking tools like that tomahawk or is it also used in knives.

Personally I would bet that S7 would be a great tool steel to use for a high end machete.

I welcome any comments on S7

[Cliff Stamp]

Cold Steel uses 1055 in their machetes, it is very similar in properties to S7 aside from the hardening response as S7 is alloyed for air hardening, 1055 is not. These steels are tough because the carbon content is less than 0.6% so they form lathe martensite (plate will form above 0.6% in solution) and they have little to no carbide volume.