What is D2 Steel?

[Buck Hedges]

My Dad is also a beginning bladesmith, and was up to visit this weekend. He asked me what D2 steel is.

 

What is it?

[Brian Myers]

Very high carbon and chromium content. Makes a heck of a tough and semi-stainless knife in the hands of a skilled smith, but darn hard to work with and heat treat. Better to start off with something like O1 or even some old railroad spikes till he learns the ins and outs.

[DanielQ]

http://www.bucorp.com/files/aisi_d2.pdf

 

Also being replaced somewhat by Sleipner around here.

http://www.uddeholm.se/files/Sleipner-swedish_p_1209_e6.pdf

 

//DQ

[Buck Hedges]

Thanks. That helps a lot. Think I'll stick with my leaf springs and old files for now. I understand them a little better.

[danpiotte]

D2 is a die steel used for stamping dies and hard wear applications. Makes great powerhammer dies. Unfortunately even at forging temp it is like hitting a rock. It will leave marks in your hammer and anvil. D2 is popular more with the stock removal crowd than bladesmiths. Although it usually eat up twice as many belts.

 

I will disagree that it is hard to heat treat though. As an air-hardening steel D2 is simple to heat treat. You wrap it heat treat foil and bring it up to temp, allow to soak for an hour per inch, let cool in still air ( I leave it in the wrap) and temper according to your application. I have used quite a bit of it over the years.

 

D2 is very corrosion resistant after heat treat. I have also read that it benefits from cryo treatment.

 

Daniel

[Doug Lester]

It also has a good bit of Molybdenum and Vanadium which creates carbides that don't want to go into solution easily which translates into a narrow working range at high temperatures if you want to forge it. The high carbon content will also give a problem with retained austinite. Meaning that you should have a heat treating oven rather than a forge to heat treat it. Another place that you will have to have a heat treating oven is for softening the blade after forging and before grinding. Being an air quenching steel, you cannot normalize it, you have to anneal it.

 

According to Jim Hrisoulas you can forge it but you have to be able to judge a working heat range and have the knowledge to deal with all of it's characteristics. To me there are too many alloys out there that lend themselves to forging a blade so I'll leave D2 to the stock removal guys.

 

Doug

[Buck Hedges]

I've heard the line, "Every job becomes a stock removal job," but I've got to be honest. stock removal bores me to death. My friend can go into a zen-like trance and enjoy it. I'd rather swing my hammer and beat steel. For now, I think I'll pass on the D2. Thanks for all the answers!

[R. Yates]

No need to get board any of the 10xx series steel from Aldo is forge worthy and makes very nice knives good carbon content and well worth looking at .

[Isaac Humber]

D2 is a die steel used for stamping dies and hard wear applications.

 

I've been contemplating making a touchmark. It sounds like D2 might be an ideal alloy for that application?