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Aceros usados en Cuchillería

Fuente AKS – Alpha Knive Supply

Por Ing. Marcelo San Pedro

Nombre Página

1080+ Serie ........................................................................................... 4

10XX Serie ............................................................................................. 2

13C26 – AEB-L ..................................................................................... 20

440A – B - C ......................................................................................... 14

440B – N685 ........................................................................................ 17

440C – N695 – CTS40CP ....................................................................... 15

5160 ...................................................................................................... 5

52100 .................................................................................................... 6

A2 – K305 – LSS A2 .............................................................................. 12

ATS 34 ................................................................................................. 18

ATS34 – 154CM – RWL34 ..................................................................... 13

CPM 154 .............................................................................................. 18

CPM M4 / Uddeholm Vanadis 4 Extra / Boehler S690 ........................... 10

CPM S30V............................................................................................ 19

D2 ......................................................................................................... 7

L6 / 15N20 / 8670 .................................................................................. 9

M390 – 20CV ....................................................................................... 19

O1 ......................................................................................................... 9

W1 – W2 ............................................................................................... 8

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10XX Serie

The 10XX series of steel are simple carbon steels. They are called "simple" because they consist of a few elements.

1018: This steel is available at Lowes, Home Depot and other home improvement stores. It is good for projects requiring low carbon steel.

It is NOT a good blade steel. It should never be used as a blade steel or as a component in damascus. The only reason it is used is because it is cheap. Do not buy damascus that contains 1018.

1050: A tough medium carbon steel. It is a good steel to use when making a sword because of its toughness.

1075: A tough high carbon steel. 1075 is suitable for forging or stock removal and is especially good for large knives due to its toughness when heat treated and tempered properly. It can be differentially heat treated and etched to show a hamon line.

1080: A tough carbon steel that replaced 1084. 1080 is very similar to 1075 but offers more carbon. 1080 also is forgeable and is a good choice for knives of all sizes offering a good balance of toughness and edge-holding. 1080 can also be differentially heat treated and etched to show a hamon line.

1080 is a popular component in damascus and etches to a dark grey color. 1080 is often paired with 15N20 for pattern welding because the heat treatment for each is very similar and it produces a very tough high contrast pattern welded steel.

1084: A discontinued tough tool steel that is very popular for forging when it can be

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found. 1084 has been replaced with 1080 and the specs for both are very similar with 1084 having just a little bit more carbon.

1095: This is another simple carbon steel. Heat treating can be problematic. The time/temperature curve is very short. If heat treated correctly this steel makes good knives. I do not recommend this steel for beginning knifemakers because of the potential problems when heat treating.

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1080+ Serie

This steel is similar to the composition of 1080 with the addition of small amounts of chromium and vanadium. It has tight specifications and is a good steel to use for knives.

In the table above 1080, 1084, 52100, CruForge V and W2 are shown for comparison purposes.

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5160

A tough spring steel that was used extensively in the automotive industry. 5160 makes a very durable tough knife and is suitable for any knife that needs to hold an edge and be impact resistant such as swords and bowie knives.

Favored by many ABS smiths for the performance test for its edge holding and flexibility when properly heat treated. 5160 forges easily and heat treats well with an oil quench.

While it can be clay tempered and heat treated it does not show a very clear hamon due to the high amount of chrome in the steel.

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52100

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D2

Heat Treating Information: Preheat: Heat to 1100°-1200°F, equalize, then to 1400°-1450°F, equalize.

Austenitize: 1825°-1875°F, hold time at temperature 30-45 minutes. Quench in air or positive pressure quench to below 150°F.

Temper: Two times at 400°-1000°F 2 hours minimum each time. Cool to room temperature between tempers.

Cryogenic Treating: After the first temper may improve long term dimensional stability by transforming retained austenite. Any cryogenic treatment must be followed by a temper.

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W1 – W2

W1: This steel wants to be W2 when it grows up. W1 is a good steel for forging and will make a good knife. It can be clay tempered and etched to show a hamon. W1 can make a good knife, however W2 makes a great knife when you can find it.

W2: This carbon steel is W1 with vanadium. It is a great steel. When properly heat treated fantastic hamons can be seen.

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O1

L6 / 15N20 / 8670

This carbon steel is very tough. The nickel makes the steel stronger and tougher. L6 has enough nickel to be used as the shiny layer in damascus.

In the table above 15N20 and 8670 are shown for comparison purposes.

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CPM M4 / Uddeholm Vanadis 4 Extra / Boehler S690

A particle metallurgy carbon steel made by several manufacturers.

This steel gets very sharp. Its edge holding is excellent. If you use M4 to make a knife do most of your finishing before heat treating because it is very hard to finish after.

I think M4 has gotten much more popular since it has been used in cutting competitions.

In the table above Vanadis 4 Extra is shown for comparison purposes.

Heat Treating Information: Preheat: Heat to 1500-1550°F, equalize. Second pre-heat stage at 1850-1900°F suggested for vacuum or atmosphere hardening.

Austenitize: 1875-2200°F. Hold time at temperature: 1875°F - 45 minutes 1975°F - 30 minutes 2050°F - 20 minutes 2100°F - 15 minutes 2150°F - 10 minutes 2200°F - 5 minutes

For cutting tools use 2150-2200°F. For cold work applications use 1875-2125°F. Quench in air or positive pressure quench to below 125°F, or salt or interrupted oil quench to about 1000°F, then air cool to below 125°F. A fast quench rate

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from hardening temperature to below 1100°F is critical to achieve optimum heat treat response. A slower cooling rate below 1000°F may be used to minimize distortion.

Temper: Double temper at 1000°F minimum. Triple temper recommended when hardening from 2100°F or higher. 2 hours minimum each temper. Air cool to room temperature between tempers.

Cryogenic Treating: After the first temper may improve long term dimensional stability by transforming retained austenite. Any cryogenic treatment must be followed by a temper.

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A2 – K305 – LSS A2

A tough high carbon alloy steel. Its toughness allows for thinner edges that cut better. The chromium provides some corrosion resistance.

Heat Treating Information: Preheat: Heat to 1100°-1250°F, equalize, then to 1350-1450°F, equalize.

Austenitize: 1750°-1800°F, hold at temperature 30-45 minutes. Quench in air or positive pressure quench to below 150°F.

Temper: At least twice at 400°-1000°F for 2 hours minimum each time. 0Cool to room temperature between tempers.

Cryogenic Treating: After the first temper may improve long term dimensional stability by transforming retained austenite. Any cryogenic treatment must be followed by a temper.

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ATS34 – 154CM – RWL34

Heat Treating Information: Preheat: Heat to 1400° and equalize.

Austenitize: Ramp to 1900-2000°F and hold at temperature for 30-60 minutes. Oil or plate or air quench to below 125°F.

Temper: Twice at 400-1200°F for 2 hours minimum each time. Tempering at 800-1100°F will result in a minor reduction in both corrosion resistance and toughness.

Cryogenic Treating: After the first temper may improve long term dimensional stability by transforming retained austenite. Cryogenic treatment must be followed by a temper.

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440A – B - C

440A is a stainless steel that is used in lots of low end factory knives. Most blades that are marked "440 Stainless" are 440A. If heat treatment is done correctly it does make an acceptable blade steel.

In the table above 440B and 440C are shown for comparison purposes.

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440C – N695 – CTS40CP

The highest carbon stainless steel of the 440 series. It is a very good blade steel. I think the reason it is not more popular is because newer steels have overshadowed it.

In the table above 440B & CTS-40CP are shown for comparison purposes.

Heat Treating Information: Preheat: Heat to 1400° and equalize.

Austenitize: Ramp to 1850°-1950°F and hold at temperature for 30 minutes. Oil, plate or air quench to below 150°F.

Cryogenic Treating: Cyro may be performed after quenching to 125 °F to reduce retained austenite. After cyro allow blade to warm to room temperature.

Temper: Temper immediately after quenching or cyro. Hold at temperature for two hours minimum and allow to cool to room temperature. Use the table below

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to select the rockwell hardness.

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440B – N685

A stainless steel used by Randal Knives. A higher amount of carbon results in a better blade steel than 440A.

In the table above 440C is shown for comparison purposes.

Heat Treating Information: Preheat: Heat to 1400° and equalize.

Austenitize: Ramp to 1850°-1950°F and hold at temperature for 30 minutes. Oil, plate or air quench to below 150°F.

Cryogenic Treating: Cyro may be performed after quenching to 125 °F to reduce retained austenite. After cyro allow blade to warm to room temperature.

Temper: Temper immediately after quenching or cyro. Hold at temperature for two hours minimum and allow to cool to room temperature. Use the table below to select the rockwell hardness.

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CPM 154

CPM154 may be the best balanced stainless steel currently available. It is easy to

finish and sharpen. It also holds an edge well.

ATS 34

This stainless steel is a copy of 154CM. Lately some knifemakers have noticed alloy banding and inclusions in this steel. It has been overshadowed by CPM154 which is a better steel.

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M390 – 20CV

M390 is a third generation powder metalurgy stainless steel. The granule size of the metal powder is very small. It is Bohler's high end steel. The composition allows the steel to be polished to a mirror finish.

The chemical composition of M390 and DuraTech 20CV are almost identical. The table below shows a comparison:

CPM S30V

A very good stainless steel.

S30v has become the industry standard for high end production knives due to its

toughness and edge holding. S30v is an excellent choice for a tough corrosion

resistant knife that will see hard use. S30V has very specific heat treat requirements

but when done correctly is hard to beat. CPMS30v is not recommended for forging.

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13C26 – AEB-L

AEB-L was originally developed for razor blades. The steel is formulated with just enough carbon for the steel to get hard but not make any chromium carbides. The extreme fine grain makes it easy to sharpen and holds an edge well.

AEB-L is used by several damascus makers including Devin Thomas, Rob Thomas, Chad Nichols and Gerome Weinand in their stainless damascus. It has good corrosion resistance, is easy to sharpen and has good edge holding.

I've recommended this stainless steel to knifemakers for years. Anyone who has been around me will tell you I love this steel. Try it and let us know what you think of it. We're working with Bohler-Uddeholm to get thicker material.

Sandvik copied AEB-L and calls it 13C26. In the table above 13C26 is shown for comparison purposes.

Heat Treating Information:

Preheat: Heat to 1560° and equalize.

1920°F Austenitize: Ramp to 1920°F and hold at temperature for 15 minutes. Oil or plate or air quench as quickly as possible.

1975°F Austenitize: Ramp to 1975°F and hold at temperature for 5 minutes. Oil or plate or air quench as quickly as possible.

Cryogenic Treating: To get the most from AEB-L you must cryo. Cool to -95 °F. No soak is required.

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Temper: Temper immediately after hardeneing or cryo. Temper at least 2 times for two hours each time. Use the table below to achieve desired hardness.