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- Feb 28, 2007
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I'm posting this thread to ask Koyote what moved him to choose the steels he chooses to use. Thus far I have L6 in my big traditional leuku and 15N20 in my Mills Pattern Skinner.
Admittedly, even though I only received the skinner recently, it gets more use, particularly int he kitchen because it is just so great at that task. I've really come to love 15N20 as a steel. It takes a fine edge and I don't know if it is supposed to be like this or not, but I find it more rust resistant than my 1095 blades. It takes a patina, but I've yet to see any rust fuzz on the blade. The Bushcrafter Leuku passaround thread is 10+ pages of putting the 15N20 through hell and back and the blade just seems to come back asking for more. All that in 0.095", when most makers seem to go at 0.125" thickness as the minimum.
The L6 seems pretty tough. I did produce a couple of chips in it, but that was hitting a nail in wood. Its not hard to sharpen and while using it for chopping wood, it seems to hold its edge about as good as my Scrapyard SOD (SR77), but not quite as good as my Ranger RD9 (5160). Of course, these are my "user" perceptions not based on charts or exacting tests. In Ed Fowler's thread posted in W&SS, one member commented that L6 was used in ice-augers because the metal is considered to be good in cold conditions. Of course, one has to always temper such arguments in terms of the heat treat applied.
Before I knew of Christof, and began patronizing his shop, I really didn't know anything about 15N20 or L6. You just hardly seem to see these steels being used elsewhere.
So my question is to Christof is. How did you come about deciding to favor these steels in your knives? What characteristics do you like about them? Why do you seem to be one of the minority using the steels?
Thanks - the last question might sound like its a challenge but I only ask it in the context that your choices seem to be a best kept secret!
ken
Admittedly, even though I only received the skinner recently, it gets more use, particularly int he kitchen because it is just so great at that task. I've really come to love 15N20 as a steel. It takes a fine edge and I don't know if it is supposed to be like this or not, but I find it more rust resistant than my 1095 blades. It takes a patina, but I've yet to see any rust fuzz on the blade. The Bushcrafter Leuku passaround thread is 10+ pages of putting the 15N20 through hell and back and the blade just seems to come back asking for more. All that in 0.095", when most makers seem to go at 0.125" thickness as the minimum.
The L6 seems pretty tough. I did produce a couple of chips in it, but that was hitting a nail in wood. Its not hard to sharpen and while using it for chopping wood, it seems to hold its edge about as good as my Scrapyard SOD (SR77), but not quite as good as my Ranger RD9 (5160). Of course, these are my "user" perceptions not based on charts or exacting tests. In Ed Fowler's thread posted in W&SS, one member commented that L6 was used in ice-augers because the metal is considered to be good in cold conditions. Of course, one has to always temper such arguments in terms of the heat treat applied.
Before I knew of Christof, and began patronizing his shop, I really didn't know anything about 15N20 or L6. You just hardly seem to see these steels being used elsewhere.
So my question is to Christof is. How did you come about deciding to favor these steels in your knives? What characteristics do you like about them? Why do you seem to be one of the minority using the steels?
Thanks - the last question might sound like its a challenge but I only ask it in the context that your choices seem to be a best kept secret!
ken
