1095 or O1

JTknives

JTknives

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Jun 11, 2006
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I am going to be ordering some steel so that i can keep making my small simple knives. my questions is this, i love the 1095 carbon steel but should i switch over to O1. is it better than 1095. i know i asking the age old question so dont shoot me please. I just have allwase used old files for my knife blades and its getting expensive. if there is another steel you would sajest that would be great. remember i dont have a lot of tools so i need a steel that i can heat treat with a small forge made from a torch and does not cost to much and is easy to work with. Im not asking for the super steel just a good easy steel to make small strong knives. Thanks
 
If you are doing it all using simple equipment,O-1 is a good choice. 1095 is a great steel,but the HT is a bit trickier than O-1.
Stacy
 
I prefer 0-1. Dont know why ?? Just do ;) Either will be good with the proper Heat Treat.
 
In my opinion, 01 is much superior. I have used 1095 for the past 15 years, and 01 for the occasional blade that I thought I could make easier with it. I have now switched to 01 exclusively. It holds a much better edge, and I have less trouble with warpage, and it is available in so many different sizes that you can cover nearly any need. The precision ground 01, although much more expensive, allows me a faster output since I don't have to waste time cleaning the surface of a rough rolled bar of 1095, just to start one. In my experience, 01 will hold a better edge than 1095, even when tempered much softer. It is much more abrasion resistant, and if you have to do any hand fileing or drilling before HT, it cuts like butter. My only complaint is that it will air harden if it gets hot enough, but that is seldom a real problem. It may be just my experience, but Nicholson file steel holds a better edge than does 1095, at a comparable heat treat.
 
what about M2? I make my knives with it. It's good to control and differently from be known it's no rust more than 1095 even D2...!! I do heat-treatment it to degree HRC 62.
 
You know me, I got to be different...

After all my experience with soak times and other little quirks, I would still strongly recommend that simpler tools be used on simpler steel. Thus I think 1095 would yeild the same results at less cost and less trouble than the O1.

O1 will fully harden much easier but, in my opinion, that is all it has over 1095 without the tools to really unlock its potential, a faster quench can be arranged in any shop, an extended accurate soak time is another problem.
If you have equipment that can handle the more precise temperature controls then you can completely bring those tungsten, vanadium, or chrome carbides into play, get maximum yeild in hardness from proper austenitizing, and the O1 would definitely kick the 1095's butt. But, short of that, all one needs to do is get 1095 in the ball park to get maximum hardness with plenty of leftover iron carbide to make things interesting.
 
Does any one know where i can get 1095 bar stock, i use files now but it gets expensive buying a new file every time i want to make a new knife.
 
LRB said:
Thanks Jim, they offer a size I haven't been able to find.
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Your welcome. I like the 1 inch round stock for forging in the press. I am able to get a good variety of blade styles of various lengths, widths and thickness and not inventory a variety of flat stock with a lot of potential waste.
 
I haven't tried T-15, but I have about 250 pounds of it in the form of large broaches. I think it would be awesome as a knife, but hard to sharpen.
 
Phillip Patton said:
I haven't tried T-15, but I have about 250 pounds of it in the form of large broaches. I think it would be awesome as a knife, but hard to sharpen.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by "large broaches"? it seames to be a good steel in the sence that it is one of the best high speed tool steels. it hardens to around rc67-68. it seames like it is a tungstion steel. would it be worts the money for a blade made out of the steel
 
I can send you a chunk. Do you forge? If you forge, do you have a power hammer or something? This stuff moves veeeerrrrry slowly. I would never try forging one of these bars down by hand.
 
BTW, these are the CPM versions of M4 and T15, not the conventional types.
 
I am BIG TIME NEW! I've just completed my first batch of knives, and have started grinding the second batch (after having gotten a ton of great tips from here). Thus far I've worked with O1, ATS-34, 1095, and 440c. The only thing I noticed between O1 and 1095 is that grinding O1 puts out what looks like piles of steel wool. 1095 puts out piles of still red hot molten metal. I had to stop and get it off the board that I mount my grinder on to keep from setting the board on fire. That having been said, I'm looking foward to working with it some more.
 
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