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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
1/4 square W1
- Thread starter insanity
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2001
- Messages
- 5,705
You may have better luck finding it in a 10 series steel. If you could go with rounds instead of squares ENCO has really great prices on both there W-1 and O-1. There bars are all 3', there sale price on 1/4" round is .89c. Maybe a larger round would work better for you. There on line at www.use-enco.com and there phone is 1 800 873 3636......Ray
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2002
- Messages
- 85
mcmaster.com will have it. (item # 8894K18 )
W1(modern W1) is 1095, BTW.
Joe
W1(modern W1) is 1095, BTW.
Joe
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2002
- Messages
- 839
you said:
"W1(modern W1) is 1095, BTW."
does that mean plain 1095 steel is a water quenching steel?
"W1(modern W1) is 1095, BTW."
does that mean plain 1095 steel is a water quenching steel?
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2002
- Messages
- 85
its clearly "bi-quenchal" if you ask me.
for things under 3/16ths thick oil is probably a better idea. It all up to the guy behind the fire on this one.
For industrial uses where big peices are use, they use water or water based quenches, when looking for the fullest or deepest in hardness. Its suggest even by steel suppliers that in thin cross sections oil will work more than fine.
W1 was once a very pure and simple steel, mainly iron and carbon. As something like this would be costly to make, they started using 1095 in its place.
for things under 3/16ths thick oil is probably a better idea. It all up to the guy behind the fire on this one.
For industrial uses where big peices are use, they use water or water based quenches, when looking for the fullest or deepest in hardness. Its suggest even by steel suppliers that in thin cross sections oil will work more than fine.
W1 was once a very pure and simple steel, mainly iron and carbon. As something like this would be costly to make, they started using 1095 in its place.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2002
- Messages
- 839
between 1084/1080 & 1095 which one is better for water quenching in 3/16" thickness? 
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2002
- Messages
- 85
Terry,
My own opinions follow...
as far as edge holding goes you wont notice a difference in any of them. You will notice 1095 has to be HEAVILY drawn back when its water quenched, or it will be very brittle. You can get a harder tougher edge with 1080/84.
1095 is also very risky in the water quench, and considering it wont end up being better than 1080 or 84, I feel it somewhat foolish to use it this way.
1080 will probably be the best having a bit less carbon than 84., and in most likeliness it will stand as tough and strong etc. as 1084 or 1095.
theres a lot of dependance on the actual chemistries too, though. The 1084 Ive been getting lately has been too high in C and manganese, and Ive see more failures than ussual.
I will be switching to another 108X steel soon, for stock-quality control issues.
Joe
My own opinions follow...
as far as edge holding goes you wont notice a difference in any of them. You will notice 1095 has to be HEAVILY drawn back when its water quenched, or it will be very brittle. You can get a harder tougher edge with 1080/84.
1095 is also very risky in the water quench, and considering it wont end up being better than 1080 or 84, I feel it somewhat foolish to use it this way.
1080 will probably be the best having a bit less carbon than 84., and in most likeliness it will stand as tough and strong etc. as 1084 or 1095.
theres a lot of dependance on the actual chemistries too, though. The 1084 Ive been getting lately has been too high in C and manganese, and Ive see more failures than ussual.
I will be switching to another 108X steel soon, for stock-quality control issues.
Joe
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2002
- Messages
- 839
One more question then i will shut up 
to get a good hamon in the steel, do i quench it as soon as it gets to nonmagnetic or how long should i let it soak at nonmagnetic, for 3/16 and for 1/4 stock, also (i know more than one question in a question) can i get a good hamon (on a fighter type knife) without clay coating it? now i will shut up. thanks.
to get a good hamon in the steel, do i quench it as soon as it gets to nonmagnetic or how long should i let it soak at nonmagnetic, for 3/16 and for 1/4 stock, also (i know more than one question in a question) can i get a good hamon (on a fighter type knife) without clay coating it? now i will shut up. thanks. - Joined
- Nov 13, 2002
- Messages
- 85
hehe, Im flattered to be asked so many questions, really.
an almost perfectly controlled hamon(one that follows your clay) can be gotten at 1500F, I austenize at 1400F (for safety from failures, and for hardening depth)with a couple mins of soak, and get a good active hamon.
So I would say shoot for below non magnetic 1500 by a small amount, maybe 1450F, and soak it there for about 2 mins. The soak will cause it to austenize(become non-magnetic), once it does this soak for at least another minute.
This can be tricky over the fire. I used to do it this way, its just an aquired skill, give it some tries and youll get it soon enough.
To me hamon(edge-pattern) is the term for a well controlled differential. Clay is the only way to do it, I know of. Everything else is a temperline, to me. you can get a temper line quite easily, and theres lots of techniques used to do it.
Joe
an almost perfectly controlled hamon(one that follows your clay) can be gotten at 1500F, I austenize at 1400F (for safety from failures, and for hardening depth)with a couple mins of soak, and get a good active hamon.
So I would say shoot for below non magnetic 1500 by a small amount, maybe 1450F, and soak it there for about 2 mins. The soak will cause it to austenize(become non-magnetic), once it does this soak for at least another minute.
This can be tricky over the fire. I used to do it this way, its just an aquired skill, give it some tries and youll get it soon enough.
To me hamon(edge-pattern) is the term for a well controlled differential. Clay is the only way to do it, I know of. Everything else is a temperline, to me. you can get a temper line quite easily, and theres lots of techniques used to do it.
Joe