5160 vs. 1095 heat?

RyanW

RyanW

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in the past I have taken scraps of 5160 and made small PSK knives using a hand torch for HT... today my son asked if we could make a few "of those really small knives" I only had a few scraps of 1095 laying around. No matter how hard I tried I could not get it hot enough. What is the reason for the difference?

I am guessing the it falls to the composition of the steel and its ability to absorb/retain heat.
 
Are you talking about pieces the same size not reaching the same temperature or are you saying the 1095 does not seem to harden? What are you using to check temperature?

1095 doesn't need to be heated to as high a temperature to austenitize but needs a faster quench than 5160
 
If you dont mind me asking what are you using to quench and how are you judging heat? and why dont you think its hot enough? Thanks
 
Thanks for the quick replies... they are the same size pieces of steel 1.25" x 2-3" x .25" the 5160 coloerd up and reached non-magnetic within 5 min with the torch. The 1095 never reached the red glow I am used to. And definately did not reach non-mag despite 10-15 min of heat from the torch. I am quenching in canola oil... before everyone starts on the "doing it wrong on the quench used. Or won't get the proper hardness" I am just playing with scraps to strike firesteel etc. My question is just in regards to the difference in the case.

Thanks again
 
Weird; especially since the pieces of steel are the same size. The critical temperature for 1095 is less than 5160, so it's odd that it didn't work.
 
Read the stickies on "working with the three steel types"

what are you using for a torch? what are you using for an insulator to hold the heat around the blade?

-page
 
the specific heat capacities for iron, carbon steel, and cast iron are very similar, I wouldn't expect the difference between 1095 and 5160 to amount to anything you'd notice as far as heating to temp so something else must be different

Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat required to change temperature of one kilogram of a substance by one degree
 
They should both reach non-magnetic, with the same heat source, in the same amount of time. You must have done something different for the 1095. Torch low on gas, or something?
 
I thought they should be the same as well... The torch was low on gas so I changed out the bottle for a new one I even changed out the Torch head thinking something was wrong with it. I was using the Bernzomatic and Mapp Gas.

Sunshadow. the blade is close to 1 inch so I didn't think i needed an "Insulator" the flame covers the whole blade pretty much.
 
Google "One Brick Forge"

If you are using a MAPP bernz-o-matic you are not really working with much heat production, you need to contain it as best you can, even a 20 degree digfference in ambient temperature or slight draft will steal your heat away. 1095 is a rather touchy steel to be playing with. Let's get you through this, but pick up some 1084 for your next blade

_page
 
Thanks Sun... I have a forge, and fired it up and HT'ed the small blades. I was just hoping to get it done the quick and nasty way rather than go the time and fuel consuming route on a few Tiny blades that really didn't need to perform!

Mitchell, I agree I think it should have worked, that is the reason I asked the question "WHY was 5160 so much easier than 1095 to bring up to Tc with the small torch?" The 1095 never actually got there... I will mark it up to user error and tell my son "It just didn't"

Thanks for the help.
Ryan
 
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