The blade and shaft of most scrapers are made from one of the following materials:
Chrome vanadium steel
Stainless steel
Hardened steel
High carbon steel
PVC
Chrome vanadium steel
Chrome vanadium steel is made up of around 96.5% iron and the other 3.5% is chromium, vanadium, carbon, silicon, molybdenum, manganese, sulphur and nitrogen.
A chrome vanadium steel scraper should be tough and wear-resistant
Stainless steel
Stainless steel is a form of steel that is made up of a number of different elements, these include chromium, iron and nickel.
The shaft and blade of some scrapers are made from stainless steel, making them able to withstand wear and resist corrosion.
Hardened steel
Hardened steel is the term often used for a medium or high carbon steel that has been given special heat treatments.
Hardened steel is used on some scrapers shafts and blades because it is tough and does not wear over time, however, can be brittle depending on its heat treatments.
High carbon steel
This is a type of steel that has a high carbon content. High carbon steel contains more than 0.5% carbon making it very hard and able to withstand wear.
A number of scraper shafts and blades are produced from high carbon steel.
Which steel to choose?
When it comes to choosing your scraper, you’ll want the best material available to you. Each scraper should be produced from a tough material but the best choice would be chrome vanadium steel.
Chrome vanadium steel is much superior to the other steel scrapers available because the elements that make up vanadium steel give it strength and hardness, making it last longer and be able to withstand wear.
High carbon steel and hardened steel are very similar and would be the next best choice. They are both tough and will stay sharp for a long period of time because of the amount of carbon, which provides them with their strength.
Stainless steel is strong but would be the last choice as it does not stay as sharp for long and would damage more easily compared to the other steels.
Sharpening
Chrome vanadium, stainless, hardened and high carbon steel blades can all be sharpened using a whetstone if they do become blunt.
To find out how to do this, see our page: Gasket scraper maintenance and care
Some gasket scrapers can also be made from PVC.
Handle
PVC
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is a very commonly-used plastic. It is often used for the gasket scraper’s handle because it is abrasion resistant, lightweight, and has excellent mechanical strength and toughness.
Summary
Scrapers made from chrome vanadium, stainless steel, high carbon or hardened steel, are considered heavy-duty, and are suitable for scraping residue off material that does not damage or mark easily.
PVC scrapers are more suitable for materials such as aluminium, which can mark easily, as the blade will not damage the surface.