Steel

JAWilliams

KNIFEMAKER
ATS-34 Stainless
154-CM Stainless
CPM S30V Stainless
CPM S90V Stainless
CPM 154CM Stainless

Which one is better for knives? Ats-34 I have heard of and seen knives make from this. But the rest I have no idea about. Thanks, James
 
LOL,.. OMG, please tell me you didnt just ask this,:)
This can go on for decades,lol.
It should be a shirt - if you get 5 makers in a room, and ask them a question... will anyone give the same answer in the next 40 years?
:)
 
LOL This is the usual question that most makers wont get into, but here goes
154cm, ATS34 and CPM154cm are just about the same steel chemically but the CPM has finer carbides because of the way it was made and will have a finer edge, but all are good steels and I can't tell the difference between them really.

The s30v and s90v are very wear resistant tough steels and are harder to work than the others you listed. They are also a bit harder to Heat treat.
 
LOL,.. OMG, please tell me you didnt just ask this,:)
This can go on for decades,lol.
It should be a shirt - if you get 5 makers in a room, and ask them a question... will anyone give the same answer in the next 40 years?
:)

Hee Hee , maybe we should start a stainless vs. carbon steel thread .:rolleyes: :D
That always gets a good debate
 
Seriously if your looking to start with stainless, try ATS34 first, it grinds easily and it HT's the same as CPM154cm and 154cm and is a bit cheaper. some say it's better quality(less inclusions) than the 154cm.
The S30V and S90V will just eat belts and from what I hear is a pain in the but to work with.
 
ATS-34 Stainless
154-CM Stainless
CPM S30V Stainless
CPM S90V Stainless
CPM 154CM Stainless

Which one is better for knives? Ats-34 I have heard of and seen knives make from this. But the rest I have no idea about. Thanks, James


154CM, CPM 154 an ATS-34 are chemically identical.

154 CM is the original and ATS 34 is the Japanese copy.

CPM 154 is Crucible Particle Metallurgy, a more refined way of making steel...

S30V and S90V are CPM steels as well. They are both harder to grind and finish by a bit than the 154 "family" with S90V being the worst, but a lot higher wear resistance / knifemaker resistance... :rolleyes:

You could probably point you to a good stainless if we knew what you wanted your knife to be able to do, or what properties where most important to you.

Toughness vs wear resistance for example...

Check out BossDog's threads about what steel is best for cutting thread.

Good luck! ;)
 
I would try the CPM 154 if you were interested in stainless for stock removal to get your feet wet.
-John
 
Dang that's like makeing the jeweler start with palladium. ATS-34 is cheaper and is the same stuff, that's what I would start with.
 
Yes, it is funny to ask makers which blade steel is the very best.

I do remember years ago, someone stating that you could provide the average Joe with knives of say, 440A, 440B, 440C, 154 CM and so forth, It was stated that, with the way that most people use their knives, they couldn’t tell the difference. I thought, at the time, this was just BS, hogwash. Now I’m not so sure.

The average person hit’s the edge against a rock, sticks it in the dirt, allows the edge to corrode, if carbon steel, and then he or she is unable to sharpen it.

It could be that the only people that can appreciate the different steels or alloys, are us knife nuts. Sometimes the differences, are subtle.
 
Guys thank you for everything. I will order some and then I will post pics. Will take awhile but will get it done.2thumbs
 
Hey! I've been through Joplin several times!

Never stopped though, just passin' through on I-40.:D
 
Thanks everbody. The info is a bit over whelming but I am up to the task. now to the web for a supplier. No I will not buy it off of ebay. But open to suggestion of suppliers.
 
NOOOOOO!!!! PLEASE NOOOOO!!!!:p

LOL :D I have just used CPM154CM for one knife. But that time it was nice to HT and grind. It was a little bit easyer to grind than RWL34 uddeholms version of CPM154CM. But ATS34 is easyer to grind i think.

seved
 
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