3V Heat Treat History

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vkp78

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I am beginning to get cross eyed at this point, additions, corrections welcome

Nathan does weird stuff 11/07/2013:
Short an sweet, favorite Beatles song.

CPK Creates History Chapter I

the famous cut test 3/09/2014:
Cut testing, 3V heat treat, ELMAX, D2

First 3V Blade? "optimized for edge stability" 04/04/2014
6" Fighters. 3V, Elmax, micarta, G10, buckeye burl, carbon fiber

First 8" combat Shiv in 3v "optimized to maximize edge stability in insanely rough use" "tweaked to improve edge stability and edge retention" 11/21/2014
Two 8” Fighter / Combat Shiv / Pig Sticker CPM 3V

Last 3v blade sold 01/29/2016
Blem Field Knife, SOLD

CPK Creates History Chapter II

"preliminary version of the newest heat treat" 02/12/2016
Who wants to be a guinea pig? One Light Chopper prototype, 3V

"newest heat treat" 03/24/2016
Two Light Choppers, 3V, micarta

The official christening "Delta 3v" 05/06/2016
Ten 3V Field Knives, micarta, G10, colors, "Delta 3V" SOLD


All of us are waiting for the subsequent chapters!

Kudos to the folks who recognized genius when it started!
To the people who sat on the sidelines till they could afford the knives.....I feel your pain!
 
Great thread!

Not sure if your idea for this thread came from the confusion created by someone selling a 3V FK1 as D3V. Just to clear that up, if it did...

The member bought the FK in this thread: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/3v-field-knives-micarta-g10-colors-main-sale-sold-out.1289594/, in May, 2015.

upload_2019-4-14_20-38-29.png

The first D3V FKs, as you said, were sold ONE year later! https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/ten-3v-field-knives-micarta-g10-colors-delta-3v-sold.1393200/

Great knife and great steel/heat treat, regardless if 'low temp/pre delta' or Delta 3V! I do have a couple FK1s, one that I use a lot, and had more (gifted away).

Cheers!
C.

EtA: And now, my comments from that sale thread were removed and the member is KNOWINGLY (coz Nathan told him) misrepresenting what he's selling...
 
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Nathan,

Just curious, but given the performance of the Elmax in one of the threads linked above, is there a performance metric that made you go to AEB-L over Elmax for the stainless UFs? I know you mentioned toughness vs abrasion resistance, but the Elmax seemed pretty tough in those tests.
 
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bluemax_1 said:
Nathan,

Just curious, but given the performance of the Elmax in one of the threads linked above, is there a performance metric that made you go to AEB-L over Elmax for the stainless UFs? I know you mentioned toughness vs abrasion resistance, but the Elmax seemed pretty tough in those tests.
Click to expand...

The AEBL is aimed at jarheads, not knife nuts. The Elmax is equally tough and has better wear resistance, but in rough use (clacking it against hard stuff) it goes dull just as fast as AEBL and the average enlisted man can't sharpen it. It's a matter of edge stability vs wear resistance. The AEBL performs better in edge stability and is easy to sharpen and makes a better choice for someone who wants a tough low-maintenance knife.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
The AEBL is aimed at jarheads, not knife nuts. The Elmax is equally tough and has better wear resistance, but in rough use (clacking it against hard stuff) it goes dull just as fast as AEBL and the average enlisted man can't sharpen it. It's a matter of edge stability vs wear resistance. The AEBL performs better in edge stability and is easy to sharpen and makes a better choice for someone who wants a tough low-maintenance knife.
Click to expand...
Ah, understood. Thanks for the explanation.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
The AEBL is aimed at jarheads, not knife nuts. The Elmax is equally tough and has better wear resistance, but in rough use (clacking it against hard stuff) it goes dull just as fast as AEBL and the average enlisted man can't sharpen it. It's a matter of edge stability vs wear resistance. The AEBL performs better in edge stability and is easy to sharpen and makes a better choice for someone who wants a tough low-maintenance knife.
Click to expand...

So basically AEBL is more manly
 
Quote from Nathan:

"Oh it at least doubles your sex appeal. It tripled mine.

Owning a xxxx:
Your passport requires no photograph
Superman has pajamas with the CPK logo
You no longer need to wait 15 minutes after finishing a meal before returning to the pool
When a tree falls in a forest and no one is there, you can hear it
Sharks have a week dedicated to the Shiv
You can bowl overhanded
In museums, you're allowed to touch the art
You're allowed to talk about the fight club..."
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
The AEBL is aimed at jarheads, not knife nuts. The Elmax is equally tough and has better wear resistance, but in rough use (clacking it against hard stuff) it goes dull just as fast as AEBL and the average enlisted man can't sharpen it. It's a matter of edge stability vs wear resistance. The AEBL performs better in edge stability and is easy to sharpen and makes a better choice for someone who wants a tough low-maintenance knife.
Click to expand...


After getting a little AEBL knife from custom maker J. Todd, I can confirm it is stupid easy to get super sharp!!! I liked it enough to get another custom in AEBL in from Phillip Patton.

Every time I sharpen CPM3V I wonder why I dont have more knives in AEBL!!!!
 
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This has nothing much to do with anything except that it involves 3V.

Yesterday afternoon I decided that I needed to cut up a bunch of large cardboard boxes that were taking up room in my garage. I couldn't find my box cutter, so I grabbed my Survive GSO 3.5 and started cutting. When I began, it was shaving sharp and there wasn't a mark on the blade. An hour later, I gave up. My hand and wrist were sore. The blade, on the other hand, was still shaving sharp and still didn't have a mark on it. I am impressed. I did the same thing a long time ago with a Dozier Whittler. The Dozier was still very sharp, but had some scuffs on the finish.

One thing though. A box cutter it easier to use because the blade is so much thinner.
 
I read through this thread a few times. If I understand it, there really isn't that much difference between 3V and D3v. I wonder if the same person was given two identical knives, one 3V and other D3V and they were not marked and after using them to cut stuff would he be able to tell the difference? I doubt it.

The following is a true story. Scout's honor.

Many years ago, two well known blade smiths decided to do an experiment. Using identical steel and using identical heat treat they made two identical knives. One was forged and the other was ground. They both claimed that the forged blades out performed the ground blade. Since they made and tested the blades, I don't think that it was a fair test. Obviously, they wanted the forged blades to be better. If they gave the knives to independent testers, the results would have been more honest. IMHO, of course.

BTW, the two smiths had nothing to do with each other. They may not have even known each other. Also, they only tested their own knives. They never compared them to any other maker's knives. At least, if they did, they never published that info.
 
You might not be able to tell the difference between D3V and 3V in normal everyday use but you probably would during heavy use.
You would definitely be able to tell the difference between 3V and D3V if the knives were in a wet environment.
D3V shines - 3V rusts.
In my personal experience anyhow.
 
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