O1 Steel Knife
Its origin traces back to the decade of 1940 and ever since it has become popular.
O1 steel knife. Unlike damascus steel blades which have a beautiful wavy pattern on them this steel only has its lustre and no pattern. The other minerals added are carbon at 0 95 silicon at 0 4 chromium at 0 5 tungsten at 0 5 vanadium. Simply put o1 is a better choice for knife blades particularly where wear resistance is key. However the history is a bit more interesting than that.
The largest additive is manganese at just 1 2. The most well rounded steels like cpm 154 and 154cm create an even shape while a steel like cpm 3v is severe due to high toughness and lower scores in all other categories. The trade off is being more prone to corrosion given the low chromium content. Tool steel primarily hard steel alloys used in cutting tools.
It s known as a low alloy steel due to the fact that it contains eight additives. O1 tool steel is a cold work steel and is one of the most forgiving for making knife blades. Cpm 3v plus more advanced high speed steels like m4. Amazon s choice for o1 tool steel knife rmp knife blade steel high carbon annealed 1095 knife making billets 1 5 inch x 12 inch x 0 187 inch 3 pack 4 5 out of 5 stars 123.
The most popular carbon knife steel is 1095. O1 steel was developed in 1905 by halcomb steel which was acquired by crucible steel a few years later 1 2. For more information on steel alloys transformation and applications link to my heat treating and cryogenic treatment of knife blades page. O1 tool steel equivalent being a hard tool with great edge retention toughness wear resistance but rust easily it brings me to the aisi l6.
In all being low end tool steel and compared to its price and i find that it s worth to own make an o1 steel knife. O1 tool steel is the original oil hardening non shrinking tool steel that can be hardened to the rockwell c 65 range from a low austenitizing temperature. The charts below aid visualization of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular knife steel. High tungsten high vanadium o1 is a better steel for knife blades than o2.
Some popular steels in this group include d2 o1 and crucible s cpm series i e. O1 is a general purpose tool steel that is typically used in applications where alloy steels cannot provide sufficient hardness strength and wear resistance. Thanks to johnny ngo and althesciencepal for becoming knife steel nerds patreon supporters. O1 steel is a newer form of steel that is employed in the forging of knives and other objects.
O1 tool steel knives features.