BG-42, best stainless steel ?

Nemo

Nemo

Joined
Oct 16, 1998
Messages
1,697
Hello,

Last year at the Paris Knife Show, le SICAC (Le Salon International de Couteau d'Art et de Collection)
I remember Chris Reeve saying to Fred Perrin
"You know BG-42, is the best stainless steel I have ever found..."

One year later after reviewing with Fred the Unfaan and the Small Sebenza, I have bought to Chris a Small Sebenza.

The BG-42 blade of my small folder is razor sharp and stays razor sharp.
It's uncanny.
My comparaison blades are M2 and CPM440V's.
But none got the marvelous grind of a Sebenza: very very aggressive !

I have noticed Darrel Ralph and Greg Lightfoot are also using BG-42.
Who else ?

Cheers,

JM
 
I know RJ Martin is using it on his folders, and Tom Mayo out on the Islands offers it in his knives. I believe he has said some positive things about the steel as well.

It is terrific steel, great edge retention and sharp! But as you said, it is hard to judge a knife without considering the entire package.

------------------
James Segura
San Francisco, CA




[This message has been edited by stjames (edited 14 October 1999).]
 
BG-42 is an excellent steel. It is, however, a traditional ingot steel. There are advantages to the Crucible Particle Metallurgy method of producing steel; alloying elements can be included in much higher amounts than possible with ingot steels, as the 'excess' alloying elements simply migrate out of the steel. Your example of M2, an ingot tool steel is a good one; 2% vanadium is about the maximum you can get. This is why almost all M4, with 4% vanadium, is made by the CPM process.

The advantages of the CPM process are probably not apprecable to the majority of knife users (me included). This fact, plus the fact that the Sebenza is a PRODUCTION, not a custom knife, suggest to me that you will probably not see CPM steels in CR folders, at least not in the forseeable future.

How about it, Anne, am I on the right track?

Walt
 
So would you say it is comparable and perhaps maybe even better than 440V?
Now I really need to get a Sebenza.

------------------
The greatest thought that has ever entered my mind is that one day I will have to stand before a Holy God and give an account of my life.
*Daniel Webster

Rev 20:12

 
Hmmm... sounds like this could be leading up to one of those "seasonal" contests, "best of," etc...

There have been various fixed-blade "face-off's" but I don't recall any similar multiple testings for high-performance folders. If there is ANY way to have something like this WITHOUT the bad blood postings that sometimes accompany them, this kind of contest might be pretty interesting, yes?

(Boy, is that bordering on a flame?)

Glen

------------------
"(Those who fail to re-read are obliged to read the same story everywhere)..." -Roland Barthes
 
I sure would like to see a 420V or even a talonite sebenza, but I don't think we're going to see either any time soon. Anne told me in an email a while ago that 420V is too hard on their machinery.

------------------
Johnny
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Also Chris has improved the heat treatment of BG-42.
It's his secret now.
And the result is outstanding !

JM
 
Thanks for the link, Cliff -- good thread! (Talk about parallel universes -- hard to follow everything unless you check *every* forum!)

JoHnYKwSt,
In a knifeforums thread a couple months back, the inevitable "talonite" Q was raised. Chris Reeve himself posted a reply, and Rob Simonich hopped in w/some interesting comments. Aside from CRK's continuing satisfaction w/the "real-world" performance results of BG42, it was noted that, since talonite is not magnetic, it would require different equipment from what CRK currently has. Sorry that's vague; I'm sure someone else can offer a more informed, less techno-stupid explanation...

Glen


------------------
“The piano has been drinking” -Tom Waits

 
I'll guess that magnetic chucks are used during fabrication, which is common in places like the grinding room of a tool shop. Or at least use to be.
 
Cliff - Sorry if I gave that impression. Of the steels that we have tested for edge retention and initial sharpness, there were 4 in that "upper" range of our own tests. 440V, 420V, BG-42 and ZDP-189.

In actual numbers (smaller range done from averages) BG-42 tested better than CPM-440V & ZDP-189 in both initial sharpness and edge retention. This was with Chris' heat treating.

We were convinced enough that we've already received a batch of BG-42 that is currently being cut for the Military Jr. experimental batch. We're hoping Chris will help us with heat treat.

Also keep in mind that BG-42 is not a "normal" ingot steel. It has been specially refined "grain structure-specific".

We have some BG-42 samples going to "Q"-Fog testing for corrosion resistance.

sal
 
Sal, thanks for the correction. I just went back and reread your post, it was clear enough, I just misread it.

[BG-42]

It has been specially refined "grain
structure-specific".
Click to expand...

What exactly does that mean, process wise, and relating to the material properties (wear resistance, strength, toughness)?

-Cliff
 
Hello,

So BG-42 will be perharps used by Spyderco.
Who is next ?

JM
 
I've been carrying my small Sebenza all this week and have cut a lot of stuff, some that didn't even need cutting!, but it's kept a very sharp edge! The 440V in the Random task doesn't seem to have this tenacity to keep it's edge like my Sebenza with the BG42? Which I was surprised and have now considered selling the Random task...

G2

------------------
I don't have a solution,

But I admire your problem.

www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Cabin/7306/blades.html

 
I don't think the CPM440V treated by Kershaw very hard is a good solution for knife blade.

I have been really disapointed by the a 1510. Almost impossible to resharp and not really sharp out of the box.

At the opposite, Spyderco knows better how to treat their knives.
The Starmate is a good example !

Cheers,
JM
 
Cliff - BG-42 is a VIM VAR steel (Vaccuum Induction Melted / Vaccuum Arc remelt).

Because of the enormous pressures ball bearings are exposed to, the refining process is required to withstand those forces. forces much greater than a knife would ever be required to withstand, but the knife blade gains advantages in toughness and grain structure by using ball bearing steels. 52100 is another ball bearing steel (not stainless) that exhibits many of the same advantages.

sal

[This message has been edited by Sal Glesser (edited 23 October 1999).]
 
We could be seeing an example of the heat-treat being as important as the steel if not moreso. Not uncommon. We've seen a few examples of 440A being done well enough that it's out of the "sucky" class.

Jim
 
I have ground identical test blades in ATS-34, 440C, 440V, and D-2. I will shortly be adding BG-42 before the lot is professionally heat-treated (not together, of course) and then finished by me.

Note that these are 7" knives of my own pattern, not simple test blanks such as Spyderco uses. They will be placed in side-by-side field trials, which should add a "real world" element to the test but also subject them to all the vagaries of human impressions (though the users will not know which knife is in which steel). Should be an interesting, if sloppy, counterpoint to Spyderco's lab tests. Stay tuned over the next few months.

------------------

-Corduroy
"Why else would a bear want a pocket?"

Little Bear Knives
Drew Gleason:
adg@student.umass.edu
 
Corduroy (King's body),

The BG-42 will betreated by Chris ?

Because the heat treatment of CRK is gnah gnah best gna gna gna better gnah gnah (same old song)...
wink.gif


And my Sebenza is gnah gnah gnah best gnah gnah knife.

cheers,

JM
 
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