5160 Hamon?

TekSec

TekSec

Böse Messer
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Dec 8, 2006
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Can you get a hamon on 5160? If so, what is the best way to accomplish it?
 
Erik,
5160 is a deep hardening steel. With the chromium and manganese, the blade hardens too slow for a clay coat to do much. You may get some activity, but the subtle features won't be there. Keep the blade thin make the suguha simple, use lots of quenchant, agitate as much as you can. Give it a try.
Stacy
 
Cool! I know it won't be as significant as the 10xx or W2 but hey, can't hurt! Thanks.
 
TekSec said:
Cool! I know it won't be as significant as the 10xx or W2 but hey, can't hurt! Thanks.
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here is what it can look like. the line right by the plunge cut is a quench line from only heating it and quenching it that far.

2nd%20Amendment%20Extreme.jpg
 
Here's two knives that both have 5160 blades. They were done pretty much as Don had mentioned except I tried something a little different. I brought both blades up to temp in my forge. As soon as I removed them from the forge I lit up ox/acd torch. As soon as the edge turned black I applied the torch just to the edge. As soon as it was the color I wanted I quenched the whole blade.

IMG_1193.JPG


IMG_1182.JPG
 
Raymond Richard said:
Here's two knives that both have 5160 blades. They were done pretty much as Don had mentioned except I tried something a little different. I brought both blades up to temp in my forge. As soon as I removed them from the forge I lit up ox/acd torch. As soon as the edge turned black I applied the torch just to the edge. As soon as it was the color I wanted I quenched the whole blade.

IMG_1193.JPG


IMG_1182.JPG
Click to expand...

that's a really really good idea. that way the blade is hot and alows for a more precise and even heating of the edge
 
Raymond,

Did you bring the entire blade up to temp. to avoid a "heat sink" situation from the cooler spine? (Blade's edge just heated....spine drawing heat from edge)
 
Ray thats another way to get one more thermal cycle in plus some stress relief for good measure.
 
Bruce Bump said:
You always have some good tricks up your sleeve....if you had sleeves :D
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I started out this morning with 3 sets of sleeves. If this rain keeps up I'm going to get a wet suit that is lined with goose down. :D

On the serious side I'm going to try some of my famous 1959 Nash/Metro leaf spring doing pretty much the same hardening process except I'll remove the blade from the forge and apply the torch on the edge when I first remove it. I'll guench when the spin cools turns black.
 
Raymond Richard said:
Here's two knives that both have 5160 blades. They were done pretty much as Don had mentioned except I tried something a little different. I brought both blades up to temp in my forge. As soon as I removed them from the forge I lit up ox/acd torch. As soon as the edge turned black I applied the torch just to the edge. As soon as it was the color I wanted I quenched the whole blade.
Click to expand...

Thank you ever so much for this information, this is exactly what I have been looking for, for some time.

And, I have to say, I just spent a half an hour looking at your website.... And your work is inspiring. You simply do not miss a trick. I love those facets of the sides of your hawks, stunning and brilliant. WOW.

Marion
 
Ray is one of my favorite makers. I really love his style and work!
 
actually you "can" use clay and get a good active Hamon with 5160.

I've not personally done it but the process as described to me should work well

SEVERAL thermal cycles decreasing in temp from 1475 down to 1200 reducing the grain and severely lowering the hardenability (takes some trial and error to figure out how may cycles at what temps)

then clay and quench in a slow oil from a 1425 15 minute soak.


again, I've never tried it personally because I don't have precise enough equipment. but I believe the concept is sound
 
Yesterday, I tried a 5160 blade with a clay quench. It was a blade a friend gave me to HT, and he said it was OK to try this.

The blade was a 10" bowie, in 1/4" 5160. I normalized the blade fully with a cycle ending at 1200F. I clay coated the blade as I do 1095. I austenitized at 1450F for 5 minutes, and quenched in Heatbath #50 fast oil. I cleaned the blade up and gave it a quick sanding at 220. The edge was hard, but I could see no real indication of a hamon.I took it to the etch tank and gave it about 60 seconds. The spine and edge turned dark , indicating a hard martensite, there were some smudges of darker areas on the flat side, but no real line to follow. I sanded it to 400 after tempering and gave it another etch. A lot of the spots on the side were gone, just the harder edge and spine ( spine was left with a minimal clay coating). So, the results of my experiment are that the blade did in fact develop some different steel structures, but there appears to be little visible evidence in a hamon. I will let you know what happens after he hand sands it to 2000.
Stacy
 
I have tried this after more than fifty thermal cycles and pretty much got the same results as stacey, (no real line of any kind). In my experiance the only way to get any kind of line is by diffrential heatung and/or cooling.
 
Here's a picture of Jumbo and some other ugly knife. I used clay on Jumbo but I didn't do nothing fancy because I figured there wouldn't be anything to see. I can't remember what temp I had the oven set at but ball park I'd say 1465. As soon as the blade reached that temp I pulled that huge blade out and quenched straight in Texaco Type A warmed up to 120 degrees. I was shocked to actually see something.

IMG_0706.JPG
 
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