what hardness level for d2 and a2 tool steel

A

ajohnson55005

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Feb 19, 2012
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I am getting ready to send my first two blades to Peters or Bos for heat treating. Im looking for sugestions as to what hardness I need to give them. It appears that whern they are sent i need to specify a hardness. I appreciate any sugestions from someone that has done this before. one is d2 and the other is a2

I would post a picture of them but i cant figure out how
Thanks
 
thegeek574 said:
What is their intended use?
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That, and their geometry (edge thickness etc) are the most pertinent questions. I've never used A2 but D2 at 58Rc is reasonably tough and holds a good edge for a good long time. (58Rc is a pretty good hardness for almost any knife steel, in my opinion).

If they're really thin blades that will be used for delicate, precision slicing only, you could go for 60Rc. If they're stout survival-type knives that will be subjected to chopping and such, a lower hardness like 56Rc will give you a bit more toughness without sacrificing too much edge-retention.
 
James has good info.

When in doubt, go for Rc58. It is hard enough to cut well, and tough enough to last well on most all steel types.
 
Thanks for the replies! 58 Rc it will be. I am looking forward to getting them back and finishing up. I have this feeling this is going to get to be an expensive hobby! Between stee,l wood, abrasives, leather working tools and equipment, I might break even if I sold my pickup:eek:
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I really like A2 at 60RC.

It is very tough and holds and edge for a very long time.
 
A2 at 60 appears to be tougher than D2 at pretty much any useful hardness from what I have read. I would disagree slightly with the old adage that a knife at 57-58 is good enough. Perhaps if you are using rudimentary heat treating methods, that may be the case, but as far as I know, I haven't sold a knife made from 1084 or W2 that was any softer than 60 since I got my oven and bucket of Parks #50 regardless of the size of the blade.
 
Joe, I'm very interested in your findings; please elaborate. I prefer a thin, hard edge over a thicker, softer one because I like knives that cut well, and cut more often without needing re-sharpened.
 
I am just blindly following the advice of guys like Roman Landes.:D My experience only applies to W2, 1084 and CruForgeV. Obviously, there are times when leaving steel softer might be a good idea, like "live steel" swords made from 5160, but I haven't done any of those yet. When someone wants a big chopper, i use W2 because I know that even with the edge at 60, the center of the spine and ricasso on a big W2 knife is going to still be a bit "softer" because of the shallow hardening nature of the steel. That is one reason that I am puzzled by some of these production makers who sell knives made from 1095 at 57 and claim some "secret proprietary ultimate heat treatment." Likewise, I still chuckle a bit at the idea of Randall supposedly leaving their O1 knives at around 55, I guess because that is the way that Bo did it in 1938.
james terrio said:
Joe, I'm very interested in your findings; please elaborate. I prefer a thin, hard edge over a thicker, softer one because I like knives that cut well, and cut more often without needing re-sharpened.
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