Ordered 154cm for a Kitchen knife have a few questions.

J

JParisi48

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May 14, 2012
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After reading a lot here I decided it was time to pick my steel for a kitchen knife I am going to make. I read that 440c or cpm154 was a good starter stainless steel. I ordered 154cm thinking it was the same thing.... My mistake, but I also just read that 154cm is very hard to work with as in it doesnt file or cut easily with a hacksaw for making a template. Is this true and also I ordered from Jantz does anyone know if the steel comes annealed, and perfectly flat? It seems as though there is a nominal thickness. Will I have to make the bar flat and to the same thickness before working on it??? This is the first knife I am putting a lot of time and effort into and I want it to come out good. Everyone has been helpful so far thanks!
 
cpm 154 is significantly better than 154cm even though the two have the same chemistry. The steel will have uniform thicknes and should be flat but if it's warped just bend it flat . You don't mention HT ? This is not a steel to HT without precise time and temperature control !
 
OK thanks, the thickness issue is no problem, but what about it being annealed? Does the steel come annealed when it arrives at my door? Also it it as hard to work with as I have read about? From what I have read I get the impression it will destroy hacksaw blades quick and filing will take forever. As for heat treat I plan on sending it out to someone who knows what they are doing. I want it to come out good so I wont cut any corners on heat treating thats for sure.
 
It will come annealed,it is harder to file than carbon steel,but not bad with good files.Nickelson Magic Cut is good.Also you will need a high tension hack saw frame and good blades.A cheap frame and blades will make you say bad words.
Stan
 
Thanks for the advice Stan, I do have Nicholson Files but a cheap Hacksaw, I found a nice hacksaw and blades I am going to get.
 
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Starrett High tension hacksaw and Starrett bimetal blades.18 TPI.Ain't cheap but will last you a lifetime.
Stan
 
SBuzek said:
Starrett High tension hacksaw and Starrett bimetal blades.18 TPI.Ain't cheap but will last you a lifetime.
Stan
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It needs to be a "HIGH TENSION" hacksaw.....not a regular saw. You won't believe the difference in cutting. $ 50 will buy the saw and a ten pack of good bi-metal blades. That will last a loooonnngg time.

In the future, always order your stainless steels in the CPM form. There is a noticeable difference between 154CM and CPM-154.

I would suggest CPM-S35VN for your next order. Aldo carries it...(and nearly any blade steel you want).
CPM-S35VN is a very good kitchen knife steel. If you want to email me your blade sketch, I'll cut it out in CPM-S35VN and send it to you.....No Charge. You can make the 154CM and CPM-S35VN knives side-by-side and see the difference in how they file and sand. When done, you can test them against each other to see which cuts better.
 
bladsmth said:
It needs to be a "HIGH TENSION" hacksaw.....not a regular saw. You won't believe the difference in cutting. $ 50 will buy the saw and a ten pack of good bi-metal blades. That will last a loooonnngg time.

In the future, always order your stainless steels in the CPM form. There is a noticeable difference between 154CM and CPM-154.

I would suggest CPM-S35VN for your next order. Aldo carries it...(and nearly any blade steel you want).
CPM-S35VN is a very good kitchen knife steel. If you want to email me your blade sketch, I'll cut it out in CPM-S35VN and send it to you.....No Charge. You can make the 154CM and CPM-S35VN knives side-by-side and see the difference in how they file and sand. When done, you can test them against each other to see which cuts better.
Click to expand...

Wow absolutley that would be awesome, I will email it to you after Thanksgiving tonight or tomorrow. I really appreciate it thank you
 
Having just finished up my first two 154cm knives I will say get it as close to the finish you want before HT. Once hardened its a bear to sand out due to the high wear properties. Also being that it is an air(plate) quench steel, it comes back to you clean unlike a oil quench steel that takes a lot of cleaning up.
 
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