Blade Hardness

[Brian]

Is there a chart for the Rockwell testing of the different types of steel?

I've tried to find it on the edge-u-cation page, and couldn't find what I needed. Specifically, I'm trying to find out how hard and tough gin-1 is compared to other steels.



"Happiness is, playing with dangerously sharp objects."

[aero_student]

A steel does not have a set hardness based upon its elements. If you learn what all the elements used in steel cause and create you can figure out the toughness of the steel. Hardness is based upon the heat treat of that steel.

[Clay Kesting]

Brian,

There seems to be problem with the Steel Chart on the Edge-U-Cation page. It stops short at Nickel but should show several other elements as well as the hardness on the Rockwell "C" scale. My chart shows GIN-1 as having a Rc of 58-60 compared to AUS-8 at 58-59, ATS-34 at 59-61, and ATS-55 and VG-10 at 60-62. Hope this helps.

Clay

"The trouble is that you think you have time."

[Sword and Shield]

Clay, your chart shows ATS-55 at around 60? Strange, my Endura is ATS-55 and is easier to sharpen than a blade of 440C which is around 57.

Maybe the major difference is heat treatment, as the Spyder is far superior.

Keepin' it real...real sharp, that is.

[tique]

This is the point where one must toss out the idea that harder steel is harder to sharpen... Wear resistance, edge geometry, grain size, and many other factors play into how hard/easy a steel is to sharpen, hardness is specific to only the individual steel. This is much like the fact that one steel at a higher Rc can be much more impact resistant than one at a lower Rc, or conversely that a steel at a lower Rc can hold and edge much longer than one at a higher Rc...

One just has to learn the characteristics of each steel, and then many times each steel will vary with heat treat when you get it from different companies and such....