What happened to BG-42?

somniloquist

somniloquist

Gold Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
1,445
Hey guys,

I was going through some old pictures of knives I have sold or traded over the years and noted that a bunch of stuff I had featured BG-42 blade steel. I can't think of the last production folder that I have seen that uses this material any more. Are there any makers out there still using it? It seems like it was a popular steel at one point; CRK, Buck, Strider and other well known makers used it, but it may have been overtaken by S30V?

Anyway, I was just curious to hear what people think about this. I still have a couple A.G. Russell slipjoints with BG-42 blades and they are some of my favourite knives ever. Anybody out there still using this steel?
 
I would like to see it come back. In my experience the bg42 performed better than s30v.
 
Cobalt said:
I would like to see it come back. In my experience the bg42 performed better than s30v.
Click to expand...

You know, I could probably say that I preferred it too. It always seemed to take a finer edge that S30V. Not that I'm really complaining though. There are so many excellent steels available from different manufacturers these days. I can remember a time when M4 was pretty rare. Now, all kinds of folks use it. We live in a golden age of steels :D
 
Yes we do. I cant even keep track anymore. Still bg42 and ats34 are still favs of mine
 
I believe it all gets snapped up by the aerospace industry so it's not something readily available in the knife world these days.
 
BG-42 is a double melt (high purity) steel that is conventionally smelted ie. vacuum induction melt and vacuum arc remelt (VIM/VAR). The most Vanadium you can cram into conventionally smelted steel is about 2%. BG-42 came in at about 1.2% V. It was mostly used for high performance ball bearings. 52100 is also a high purity bearing steel but is not stainless like BG-42.
Along comes the powdered metal process in which Vanadium can be crammed into the steel up to 12 % (CPM-125-V). Vanadium Carbides have a hardness of 82 HRC (Hardness Rockwell C scale). They therefore add much wear resistance to the steel, like stones in concrete. CPM S30V has 4% V. S60V has 5.5% V. S90V has 9% V. S110V has 9%.V + 3.5% Niobium (a very strong Carbide former). My guess is that BG-42 lost the Vanadium war.
 
It was left behind and forgotten for S30v


Then it evolved into CTS b75p

Carpenter bought the formula and made it a PM steel
 
I have two Sebenzas, a drop point and a tanto, both large regulars, BG-42. Ahh, the good old days. There are so many great steels available, ... :)
 
I would like to try the PM version, CTS b75p. Seems like it could perform really really well with the right HT and grind!!
 
I have one BG-42 knife, a Buck 301 special edition which was made for the Buck Collectors Club. Rumor has it that Buck said that they had no plans to produce any more knives in BG-42.

IIRC from various discussions, one of the issues was difficulties in obtaining it in the thicknesses desirable for knives.
 
DeadboxHero said:
It was left behind and forgotten for S30v


Then it evolved into CTS b75p

Carpenter bought the formula and made it a PM steel
Click to expand...

so ctsb75p is what bg42 use to be then? Except it is a pm now? interesting. I wonder how it performs
 
I have one BG42 blade and it's on a knife you'd never expect to see it on...

r8eV02t.jpg


Once you get an edge on it, it lasts forever, doesn't chip out like VG10 either, tough like D2 and a pain in the butt to sharpen but it'll scare the hair off your arm from 10 feet away ;) , in all seriousness though it'll whittle hair, slice news print off the paper and cut the glue off a free hanging sheet of rice rollin' paper. When it's sharp ;)

This and ATS 34 were 2 of my favorites in the 80s :)
 
Cobalt said:
so ctsb75p is what bg42 use to be then? Except it is a pm now? interesting. I wonder how it performs
Click to expand...

Not sure, I've been very curious

Started a similar thread

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1373559-CTS-B75p-powdered-dinosaur-steel

Spyderco mule team 15 was CTS b75p back in 2012

http://m.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=778

Haven't heard much about it


There are some available for sale on the bay

Haha if you and me and 13 other people chip in 10 bucks we can buy one and find out lol
 
My Southard Avo is in CTS-B75P, I really like it, holds up well and is pretty easy to maintain. Anecdotally I'd say S30V maintenance, but 35-45% better all around performance. My uses are light to moderate duty tho so I can't speak to "hard" use.
 
CTS-204P and CTS-XHP get the lion's share of Carpenter's CTS knife blade business due to their edge retention.

bladeselectaloy.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top