1095

Joined
Sep 3, 2008
Messages
236
Ineed a source of 1/8 and 1/4 inch 1095. Yes i know i've asked this allready and i did contact aldo but he doesn't have anything smaller then 3/8 . Out of desperation i order though admeral steel and the sent me what apears to be a leaf spring and a peice that has three diff bendsin it . now i have to returnit to them so that they can ditermine if it is bent or not . long story short id prefer not to do bussiness with them in the future anyone have some advice on who else to go to thanks chris
 
you should check Jantz supply. They generally have a good selection.

I have bought from admiral a few times a never had any problems. In fact they generally get my stuff to me in just a few days. I have spent $1000 there and never a single issue. I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with their service.

-Josiah
 
1095 from Admiral is not barstock, but instead is sheared from plate. Nothing wrong with that at all. However, a shear needs clearances set for the specific thickness of the steel to do its best job. If the shear has been in use for thicker stock, and then a thinner piece is cut without resetting, this will cause the sheared piece to have curves like you are experiencing.

This is not an uncommon problem. You would be well put to learn to straighten the knife-length sections as you need them. Even precision ground stock sometimes needs minor corrections.
 
If it is Hot-Rolled, the kinks can also be caused by hard spots.

1095 is commercially available in sheet as 1/8" and 3/16". I'm not sure about 1/4". It's cold-rolled with a #2 finish (nice, smooth).

Most vendors that I've talked to have it in 8ft x 2ft sizes. Most prices I've seen are right around $4.50 per pound.

example:

http://www.industrialspringsteel.com/cold_rolled_annealed_steel.htm

website says 1/8" maximum, guy on the phone said they could bring in a full sheet of 3/16".

At that price, and at those sheet sizes, you would be better off going to McMaster Carr. They have a 17.5" x 48" piece that comes in at about $4.50 per pound, last I checked. The smaller pieces are more expensive (per pound).

We have a shear at my work, and I would be happy to shear strips for you, but our shear will put a curl and a twist on anything narrower than 6". Admiral must be straightening their sheared pieces somehow (or not?). I could also laser strips for you, but the heat from the laser can buckle the metal too.

I brought up the subject of Admiral's sheared material, and my concern for flatness in a previous post. I got a lot of replies from people who said their steel was fine.
 
Last edited:
I agree with Fitzo, and I have sheared a lot of metal. Thin and narrow will almost always curve some when sheared. Some times even when sawed it will release tension in the plate and cause a bit of warp. I also agree that you should be able to straighten these mild bents with no ill effects. Simple way is with a vise and 3 pieces of round stock. 2 on each end of one side and one in the middle of the other. Works best if you make a couple jaw inserts that set in place so your hands are free. Work the piece in small increments down its length. Then, once the knife is then ground out you could do a normalize cycle or 2 and release any trapped tension. Just get it slightly red ideally just no magnetic and let it air cool to black for a bit then non magnetic again and then let air cool. Doubt you would have any wrap problems when doing HT.
Otherwise I would look for flatground stock for the 1/8" you should be able to find some decent 1/4", but, I wouldn't worry about straightened material. Do you do your own HT?. If so you could correct any warpage right at the end of quench.
 
Could also check with Kelly Cupples, if he doesn't have what you want and you don't buy from Admiral then Sheffield's will have it as will TKS.
 
I been buying from Admiral Steel since 2004 with no problems at all. The people there are great to dear with. If I buy it on Monday I will get it on Friday. When I am getting ready to start a new knife, I always surface grind the piece out a little just to make sure its absolutely flat.

Terry
 
Jantz or buy some hands on at a show semi annually and take only what you approve of.

STR
 
Back
Top