1095 steel question

Leu Custom

Leu Custom

Joined
Jun 2, 2007
Messages
1,354
I am new to using 1095 carbon steel and my question will probably appear rather stupid and dumb to most of you but i'm going to ask it anyways. Does 1095 generally come flat but with alot of surface imperfections? I bought some from Admiral steel online and it looks worse than some bar of steel you'd pick up at the junk yard. (maybe not that bad) but close! Is 1095 suppose to look like precision ground tool steel and nice and flat or is what i'm describing generally what 1095 looks like? The edges are also not smooth and evenly ground with again alot of surface imperfections. Any advice on this topic would help thanks!
 
is it hot rolled? one of my favorite things that isn't food-based is a nice piece of cold rolled steel.
 
i think i've bought CRA and HR 1095...so i'm guessing it's both hot and cold. But they both look the same surface wise. it's like smooth, but unappealing unlike a nice piece of precision ground tool steel if you know what I mean! what is the difference between hot and cold rolled 1095? thanks!
 
Leu, You have the answer to your question....It is NOT precision ground.;)
Mace
 
Hot rolled. it's still red and soft as they roll it, easier to work. Coll rolled it's annealed but cold when it's rolled and can work be hardened if not re-annealed afterwards.

Thats the quick reply, I'll let the tech guys here go into the mettalurgical results to the steel structure as to which is better and whats happening in the steel structure :D
 
You kiwis can't spell ,is it from standing up-side-down ? Metallurgical !! Hot rolled gives you 'coarser' dimensions. The cold rolled starts out as hot rolled ,then annealed,then given a final roll cold to give better dimensional control....If you're going to forge it's a waste of money to buy precision ground.I pointed this out here a while back with a specific example of a 2X price difference !!
 
If you are forging a knife, the only precision ground that matters is the one you give the blade when shaping the bevels.
Stacy
 
Your question is not stupid. I order from Admial Steel all the time. There is a gray coding on the steel. You will need to removed that from the steel. I use a surface grinder to do the job. By surface grinding your steel you will know it is absolutely flat. The gary help to prevent rush during storage. Hot rolled is half hardened and Cold rolled is soft and easy to shape and grind. That is what I order. I like working with cold rolled steel here in my shop. I heat treat and temper all my steels myself. I hope this was of help to you. ----------:D
 
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