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D2

Has anyone used D2....specifically, Queen's D2?

How do you like it?

Is it as hard to sharpen as some say?

Tags: D2, Heat, Peter's, Queen, Sharpen, Steel, Treat

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brad T. on November 17, 2014 at 20:02

D2 properly heat treated can exceed HRC-60.

Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on November 17, 2014 at 20:11

I should check beacuse I am sureQueen quotes that somewhere. and yes I am willing to bet its about that high!

Brad T. said:

D2 properly heat treated can exceed HRC-60.

Permalink Reply by Brad T. on November 17, 2014 at 20:16

I think they rate it 60-62HRC.

Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on November 17, 2014 at 20:23

AG Russell sells the knives and he lists them at 59-60, so its right in there somewhere. It is not brittle I should say but holds an edge very well.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on November 17, 2014 at 20:25

D-2 is a tool steel that is supplied in the annealed or soft condition. This grade must be hardened after machining . D-2 is heat treated between 1825 to 1875F. After heat treating, the tool steel will attain a hardness of about RC 62-64.

Permalink Reply by Joe Rose on November 20, 2014 at 20:11

Craig... I've got several D2 knives; among them several Queens... I sharpen them with DMT diamond stones and strop them a bit to knock off any burr... I've found that what takes a long time, especially with a Queen product, is gettin them sharp to begin with... Once sharpened, the Queens do a great job staying sharp...My benchmades came sharp and have pretty well have stayed that way... I tend to use my knives lightly and sit around and touch them up, especially the old CV Cases (...which i love...)... I've found i dont have to do that with the D2... I like the D2 blades and ive just about done away with all my sharpening stones in favor of DMT diamond stones... They work like a charm...

Hope this helps a bit...

joe

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on November 21, 2014 at 0:24

I was first exposed to D2 in the tool & die areas of the steel stamping industry. In that application .. it is used to shear, punch, and form softer metal (HRc <35). When properly heat treated .. it is very tough, strong, & wear resistant. http://www.daytonlamina.com/sites/default/files/dayton_tech-balanci... I've a number of Queen knives in D2. They leave the actual heat treating to professionals i.e. http://www.petersheattreat.com/cutlery.html .. and Peter's Heat Treating knows their business. Harder metals are generally considered more difficult to sharpen than softer metals. So, YES .. D2 is harder to sharpen than the much more common 420HC, even 440C ... when those metals are tempered to a hardness below that which you will find in Queen's PH-D2 blades. Specialized sharpening (diamond based) equipment becomes almost a necessity.
NOTE: Specific to my Queen cutlery, I've had the best luck reprofiling the blade geometry / cutting edge to a lower angle before sharpening.

Permalink Reply by John Bamford on November 21, 2014 at 1:54

Like the other guys have said it is the reprofiling that is the problem with D2 . I have only just got a diamond stone, a fine one, and it seems to me the way to go for D2, I am already thinking I may need a coarse diamond stone for future Queen knives . Unless Queen could start to thin them out a bit first , it is my favourite steel though .

Permalink Reply by Steve Pfeiffer on January 25, 2015 at 17:32

Queen's 2015 catalog shows the hardness at 57 to 59 RC for the D2. That is the same hardness that they show for their other steels in the catalog, ATS-34, 420 stainless, and 1095.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on January 25, 2015 at 18:04

Steve, I noticed that also

Permalink Reply by Steve Pfeiffer on January 25, 2015 at 18:38

Jan;

Makes me wonder whether its an error in their descriptions or whether Queen really heat treats all of their steels to the same RC.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on January 25, 2015 at 21:26

I'm going w/ a typo.

If their D2 wasn't hardened to a higher Rockwell value than their 420HC .. the two resulting blades .. one of 420HC & one of D2 would sharpen w/ the same degree of difficulty .. which isn't true.

Also, why offer the premium ATS-34 & D2 steels primarily on their upper lines .. if the less expensive 420HC would perform as well.

.
No .. a salesperson compiled the catalog data ... imo.