Who forges with d2?

[WestKentucky]

I have some d2 (written on billet in sharpie) that I found and I’m trying to figure out what to do with it. I was hoping to use it in my baby lathe but A. My machine can’t handle a piece this size, and B. I’m not skilled enough yet to work with a metal like this. Would this be useful to knife makers? 2.75” by 9” if my memory serves. I found it in the road in front of a machine shop and I know for a fact that they had a truck haul off scrap that day. I’m thinking that this is an end piece too short for them to use for one of their normal products.

 

[Mk-211]

If you can find someone, maybe cut disks and then forge them into blades.

Or cut it lengthwise in 1/8"-1/4" and make blades, probably easier this way. Definitely a lot less work than the other way.

 

[hso]

I’m trying to figure out what to do with it.

Are you asking if a knifemaker wants to make a knife with it?

 

[WestKentucky]

Are you asking if a knifemaker wants to make a knife with it?

Kinda, as in is it useful to a knife maker. I have no use for it and want to send it somewhere that it would be useful and appreciated.

 

[hso]

is it useful to a knife maker

Yes, D2 is a favorite of many knifemakers in spite of all the super steels that have the spotlight now.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Found this on D2 steel:

All About D2 Steel - Development, Use in Knives, and Properties - Knife Steel Nerds

Thanks to Robert Erickson, knifeandgear_swiss, Dale Bushness, and Paul Hart for becoming Knife Steel Nerds Patreon supporters! Update 10/22/2020: I now have an article with how to heat treat D2, PSF27, and CPM-D2 and it also includes toughness testing of each steel and edge retention testing of...

knifesteelnerds.com

 

[oldschool45]

D2 looks to be a pain to forge. Large billets like that are machined then heat treated to usually the low 50's on the Rockwell scale in industrial manufacturing. I've got a sheet of it (2":x24"x 3/32") waiting for the mood to make a pair of Kitchen knives out of. It might make a nice post anvil but I wouldn't want to try chopping it down with my bandsaw.

 

[Mk-211]

Water jet.

Waterjet Cutting 8 Inch Thick Stainless Steel

SchGo Engineered products is premier waterjet cutting service in Southern California. We provide reliable, top quality and highest precision waterjet cutting...

youtu.be

 

[hso]

D2 looks to be a pain to forge.

and heat treat without an electric heat treat oven.

D2 tool steel

A friend of mine gave me a bunch of these preferating blades there used in making toilet paper anyway i reserched them there D2 is it possible to forge weld into a billet

www.iforgeiron.com

 

[JohnKSa]

Right. After awhile one realizes that two major considerations when a knifemaker picks particular steel for a forged custom knife are ease of forging and ease of heat treat.

If you want one of the more exotic steels from a custom knifemaker, it's probably not going to be forged. It will be likely made by stock removal and may be shipped off to a third party for heat treatment.

 

[Cowhide Cliff]

I've used a lot of D2 but just did stock removal.