1075 durability

Gahagan

Gahagan

Well-Known Member
Ok I have some orders for some tactical hawks from my old unit. I want them durable enough to do what they are intended for. I am making them out of 3/8 steel but the only thing I could find in that thickness and the widths I need is 1075. Will this hold up to the abuse they may see ( door breaches, vehicle breahes, hammering, prying, ect...)? If not can anyone recomend a great steel. All of the hawks will be ceracoted so rust is not a major factor. The big thing is chip resestance, edge retention, and ease of sharpening.
 
I would think 1075, properly heat treated, would make a great choice. Ease of sharpening is definitely there, but you'll have to balance "chip resistance" with "edge retention" in the heat treat, just like any knife. I'm not sure what the best Rockwell would be for a hawk....I'm sure others who have more experience will let us know.
 
normalize very well, with descending heats. You want to have a very fine grain. 1075 will make a great hawk. If you can get Aldo's 80crv2 in the right size to start from, it would probably be a little tougher. But the most important point will be the heat treatment, not the steel. You could chop rings (so to speak) around anything that is not heat treated well with an optimally-treated 1075 hawk.
 
I ordered some 3/8" 3-v from Aldo 2 months ago I'm sure he still has some. If your looking for a hard use steel that one is hard to top, although it can be a little expensive.
 
Gahagan said:
I have never used 80crv2. Can you tell me more about it?
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alpha knife has been selling it for a while as 1080+, listed composition is the same as 80CrV2. cuts, grinds and heat treats like aldo's 1084. When using 3/32" thickness, does not need a ton of time if doing stock removal. cut, grind, file. heat to 1475F, soak for 5 minutes, quench in warm fast oil (I used parks 50 at 100 degrees) temper at 350 for 30 minutes, cold water quench, clean off all scale, temper at 375 for 30 minutes. Rc 61-62. sands and polishes nice.
scott
 
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I recently pounded one of my 1075 test knives through a 3/8 lag bolt with very little edge deformation. I resharpened it with a steeper angle and repeated the experiment with similar results. The damage from the second time will require some moderate grinding to remove the deformed areas. There was no chipping or folding of the edge, it was mostly just offset. This required about 60-80 hits with the hammer to get through. I would do a differential heat treatment on the knives for the best results. No need to accentuate the hamon unless desired.
 
scott.livesey said:
alpha knife has been selling it for a while as 1080+, listed composition is the same as 80CrV2. cuts, grinds and heat treats like aldo's 1084....
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Actually, I think Alpha and others suggest a HT closer to 5160 - around 1545 - 1615 IIRC. I did a test coupon last night at 1550F - 15 minutes in the kiln at temp. (dipped in turco to prevent decarb). 1/4" section came out of P50 quench at 59-61 and the 1/8" section was over RHC 65. (As an aside, this is one of those steels that, for whatever reason, doesn't show highest Rockwell readings for an hour or so after quench) This is better results than I normally get with 5160. I plan to try tonight at 1600F to see if it does better on the 1/4" section. I'll also try a 3/8 section, but not expecting much at full thickness there.

Rob!
 
Hi Rob,

I used to go higher on those temps and longer soak times for the 1080+/80CrV2 but I've decided for me and my equipment it was no longer beneficial.

After talking with some of our peers who are MUCH wiser in the heat treat department than I, and my own findings, I've found 1500-1525 and a 5-10 minute soak adequate.

You are spot on about not reading full hardness immediately out of the quench. Also on about treating it more like 5160. This stuff is not like 1080 or 1084 at all and really shouldn't be treated as such.
 
Forgot to add that I believe 1075 is also VERY tough steel that holds a great edge and would be perfectly suitable for the OP's purpose.
 
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