The "Ask Nathan a question" thread

this is a good example of what I'm talking about when I say that it doesn't always get the best heat treat. As much as I like CRK, their heat treat is pretty soft. Nowhere near optimized for a folding knife, in my opinion.
 
I have an S35VN native from spyderco and it performs very well. Sharpens pretty easily and is decently tough in serrated. I've cut through metal welding rod cans and can still cut rope after. Sure it dulls the edge but it rolls instead of chipping. I can fix it with a ceramic sharpener too.
 
fatfrog said:
I don't have any way to objectively measure it but, subjectively, the S35VN in my CRK Large Inkosi feels.....soft. It's hard to describe but it doesn't really good an edge as well as I'd like for a knife in its price bracket.
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Nathan the Machinist said:
this is a good example of what I'm talking about when I say that it doesn't always get the best heat treat. As much as I like CRK, their heat treat is pretty soft. Nowhere near optimized for a folding knife, in my opinion.
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Nathan, are you familiar with Cold Steel’s S35VN? Lynn Thompson says their S35VN is 60 HRC.
 
jus_gus said:
Nathan, are you familiar with Cold Steel’s S35VN? Lynn Thompson says their S35VN is 60 HRC.
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No I haven't tried it, but 60 is a good start.

You need a rapid quench. This keeps both the carbon and the chromium in solution rather than forming unnecessary secondary carbides. This increases strain energy in the quench which helps achieve a more complete uniform martensite conversion in the primary quench reducing RA (and any need for higher tempering temperatures) and other undesirable microstructures and also improves corrosion resistance.

And you need cryo before any temper.

The maker has to do these two things to achieve good edge stability or it doesn't matter that it's HRC 60, it's still going to be chippy/mushy.

Most large makers don't do this, for a number of reasons.

And then, yes, you want it to be in the 60's.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
No I haven't tried it, but 60 is a good start.

You need a rapid quench. This keeps both the carbon and the chromium in solution rather than forming unnecessary secondary carbides. This increases strain energy in the quench which helps achieve a more complete uniform martensite conversion in the primary quench reducing RA (and any need for higher tempering temperatures) and other undesirable microstructures and also improves corrosion resistance.

And you need cryo before any temper.

The maker has to do these two things to achieve good edge stability or it doesn't matter that it's HRC 60, it's still going to be chippy/mushy.

Most large makers don't do this, for a number of reasons.

And then, yes, you want it to be in the 60's.
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Thanks for your reply. :thumbsup::)
 
sickpuppy1 said:
Kinda like Benchmade and 154cm. That particular lack of decent HT has kinda soured me on the steel. Love my mini grip for edc at work but it’s so soft it loses the edge after one or two boxes of parts to open.
I see another folder I like, but see the 154 and pull back every time. So I resign myself to the fact I’ll sharpen it till it disappears.
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That's a pity. 154cm is a good solid steel.
 
Nathan,
Other than the aesthetics of countersunk screws being relatively flush with the scales, is there a reason you use countersunk, rather than button-heads?
 
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