A-2 Hamon ?

JBS TOOLMAKER

JBS TOOLMAKER

Joined
May 4, 2009
Messages
1,036
I usualy only work with air hardening tool steels, mainly D-2 , but I decided I want to try doing hamon on 1095. So then I see a blade by Phil Hartsfield in A-2 and there's a hamon just as sure as the sun. Has anyone here tried this ? Im wondering if clay coating the back of the blade will keep it from reaching critical temp. Or is it more complicated than that?
 
I'd be curious to know how he did it. A2 is an air or plate quenched steel and usually needs a good soak at temp. As such, clay will not prevent you from getting to temp, but it will hold the heat longer during the quench. However, as an air/plate quench steel, clay would cause heat to infultrate your exposed area and slow the cooling down too much. I don't know how you'd do it except for using a torch to heat just the edge?

--nathan
 
you think getting a hamon on 5160 is hard i could only imagine how you would do it on A2.
 
With a proper HT I think it is impossible to get a hamon on air hardening steels, it would be a temper-line, not sure but it would be very hard if not impossible to get it though...
 
I have no idea either. A-2 has 7 minutes to get below the pearlite nose, so I couldn't guess any way to just harden the edge and keep the rest at higher temp for 7 minutes. Clay certainly won't do it. Perhaps the hamon is either cosmetic ( etched or ground on), or a temper line?
Stacy
 
Perhaps differential temper. Put the edge in water and temper back the spine with a torch.
 
galadduin said:
With a proper HT I think it is impossible to get a hamon on air hardening steels, it would be a temper-line, not sure but it would be very hard if not impossible to get it though...
Click to expand...

This was my thought as well. Which means it has to be an improper method. I have personaly heat treated A-2 with a torch to make a temporary punch for a die, because it had to keep running and the new punch was in the oven. But I stress temporary. So, the only way I see it is to coat with clay and then heat only the edge with a torch. But, I still can't see being able to keep the heat consistant the whole length of the blade.
 
Chuck Gedraitis Knives said:
What about plate quenching just the edge?
Click to expand...

Maybe if you kept the spine hot with a torch.


I gotta ask though, why?! If you want a hamon, use W2. The great thing about A-2 is it's high toughness at a high hardness. It's almost as tough as L6, but a lot more wear resistant. Putting a hamon on A-2 is just trying to pound a square peg through a round hole, IMHO.
 
Phillip Patton said:
Maybe if you kept the spine hot with a torch.


I gotta ask though, why?! If you want a hamon, use W2. The great thing about A-2 is it's high toughness at a high hardness. It's almost as tough as L6, but a lot more wear resistant. Putting a hamon on A-2 is just trying to pound a square peg through a round hole, IMHO.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. I'm not saying I want to. I was just curious as to whether or not this is possible and what if any advantages are there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top