1080 steel

woodpecker forge · Jan 30, 2015

I was wondering what the best quenching oil for 1080 steel would be. I'm currently using vegetable oil but would like to step it up if a better solution is available. Also, what techniques do you guys use to darken up a blade. I'm trying to stay away from acids. Thank you for your input.

Kentucky · Jan 30, 2015

You can McMaster carr fast quench pretty cheap from Macmaster carr.Its a 11 second oil but on thin sections will still harden 1095 to 65rc-66rc.I think about $30 shipped for a gallon? also canola oil is a bit faster than vegtable oil I believe. You can try several methods of making a patina that do not require acid..You can also try the cold blue/bleach method..

S.Alexander · Jan 31, 2015

woodpecker forge said:
I was wondering what the best quenching oil for 1080 steel would be. I'm currently using vegetable oil but would like to step it up if a better solution is available. Also, what techniques do you guys use to darken up a blade. I'm trying to stay away from acids. Thank you for your input.

Canola oil works great for 1080/1084. Use vinegar for a darker patina if you don't want to use harsher acids.

A.McPherson · Jan 31, 2015

Almost any weak acid will develop a patina... lemon juice, vinegar, mustard probably lots of other things too. Heck, you could just cut up a bunch of tomatoes and that'll patina your blade. Maybe not very evenly, but it would work...

woodpecker forge · Jan 31, 2015

I was thinking about applying beeswax or linseed oil while the blade is still hot after tempering . Would that darken it a bit ?

S.Alexander · Jan 31, 2015

woodpecker forge said:
I was thinking about applying beeswax or linseed oil while the blade is still hot after tempering . Would that darken it a bit ?

I'm not sure if that will darken it. However, after you temper the knife you should be doing some finish grinding/sanding. That would clean away any color added during tempering.

woodpecker forge · Jan 31, 2015

I typically do my polishing before the heat treat because it's a little easier to sand the unhardened steel .

S.Alexander · Jan 31, 2015

You will still have to remove scale and decarb after heat treat. This is especially true of oil hardening steels like 1080. I don't see how you can polish before heat treat.

Also, your edge should be thick before heat treat to avoid warping. After heat treat you should be thinning the edge out...

woodpecker forge · Feb 5, 2015

Polish up to 800 , heat treat , remove scale with 800 grit Paper , then temper.

samuraistuart · Feb 5, 2015

S Alexander shares my same immediate concern.....decarb. If you polish to 800, quench, then remove scale with 800, you have done nothing to remove the decarb layer. However, it IS 1080, which requires no soak at temp. So decarb should be minimal. However, I only go to 220, and polish afterwards. Besides decarb, there are other issues that can creep up.

If you polish to 800 pre heat treat on 1080, which requires the edge to be .020" or above, then you have a .020" edge to sharpen. Too thick for many knives I like to make.