Aldo's Blue steel grain test

Stuart, curious why you used all blue instead of laminated steel with the Hitachi core?
I'm thinking the blue bar was designed for forge welding as the inner layer.

anyway, recently I acquired some straight blue from a Shop Talk member here.
I forged and quenched the steel in water and auto tempered 2 pcs, left one as quenched, one at 350 F and one at 400 F

If you like, I can send you these 3 pcs for your evaluation if that helps in anyway.
I believe this material may well be from the same Aldo's lot.

7c27735fb6c34f3e0a1137c4b7fecfe2.jpg


Harbeer
 
Last edited:
001_zpsfiv25iaf.jpg


Above is a pic of the finished knife. Wow, almost two years ago. (note pin holes burned...should have used fresh belt on the 4x36!)

Tim, I've used that knife for almost 2 years, and it still hasn't been put to the stone. Just a couple light swipes on the ceramic rod....off to the races.

Scott, the balance point is right where you like it, at the pinch grip. Walnut Burl handle. You're exactly right....2x72 not needed to make great knives.

Harbeer, I couldn't source any Blue 2 in dimensions required for an 8" chef. Please keep in mind, while you do forging (great looking knives, BTW), I'm limited to stock removal. Dictum and Workshop heaven have laminated Hitachi steels, but they're only 1.3" tall. I need at least 2" tall steel for 8" chef. The bars of Blue2 Aldo had were .140" thick, and Ive never forged any, but thinking for a core steel .140" would require some forging down for a core layer. Thanks for the offer on the coupons, but I think I am all set. Try fore welding them in a jacket of low carbon, wrought iron, or 304!
 
I wish that I had bought some of that steel from Aldo. I have made a few knives from 115W8 which is kind of the German cousin of Hitachi Blue. I call it Blue #1.5 because of the chemistry is kind of in between with the carbon content of #2 and the W content of #1. It will get so sharp that it will cut you if you think about it for too long. I would like to do a comparison with Blue #2
 
thanks for the update stuart. im planning to cut into my blue #2 after i finish my current batch of w2 knives...and the kitchen kith knife of course :) Im going to send mine to peters for HT but i dont want to make any assumptions , so its nice to hear people are getting good results from that blue #2. BTW your finishing is just immaculate! How has it been for you in terms of stain resistance (or lack there of)? Ive used blue#2 but only in knives with cladding, never as a mono steel blade.
 
Thanks for the offer, my good man.:thumbup: I may take you up on that at later date, but right now, I am too covered up with non-knife things to get any shop time. Just out of curiosity, what thicknesses of stock were you able to score?
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Do you need a piece?
Click to expand...
 
I didn't even know there was another thickness other than .140". Hmmm.

Tim, there is basically zero stain resistance. First thing I cut with that knife was some fajitas, and it took an immediate blue/purple patina. Beautiful, actually. No complaints at all with that steel....it is very very shallow hardening however. I might try a water quench next go around. P50 was plenty fast enough...but then again...the edge was danger thin going into the quench.
 
Stuart, the 30mm wide stuff from Dictum is 4.5mm/.177 inch thick but I have the sneaking suspicion that their stuff is the "precut" bar stock intended for the Japanese bladesmith market. They also sell 3.5 x 10mm stock , which would probably be suitable for forge welding.
samuraistuart said:
I didn't even know there was another thickness other than .140". Hmmm.

Tim, there is basically zero stain resistance. First thing I cut with that knife was some fajitas, and it took an immediate blue/purple patina. Beautiful, actually. No complaints at all with that steel....it is very very shallow hardening however. I might try a water quench next go around. P50 was plenty fast enough...but then again...the edge was danger thin going into the quench.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks, JDM. I seriously wish that Hitachi would open up their carbon steel market to us. Personally, I love high carbon steel with plenty o' tungsten or plenty o' vanadium. The 115W8 (1.2442), 110WCrV5 (1.2519), and Cru Forge V are my favorites by far. Too bad the two tungsten steels are hard to get (Achim Wirtz being my only source for 115W8, and a couple German vendors online for 110WCrV5), and CFV is no longer being made (oh how how I wish it was). Talk about getting ONE steel and learning it fully, it would be a toss up between CFV and 115W8, strictly speaking for myself. I've got one sheet of CFV left, and if it weren't for Matthew Gregory helping me find it, I would be out of stock.
 
Herr Wirtz had to make that 115W8 himself at the Lohmann mill or the local technical university. What are the specs on that 110WCrV5? That sounds interesting.
samuraistuart said:
Thanks, JDM. I seriously wish that Hitachi would open up their carbon steel market to us. Personally, I love high carbon steel with plenty o' tungsten or plenty o' vanadium. The 115W8 (1.2442), 110WCrV5 (1.2519), and Cru Forge V are my favorites by far. Too bad the two tungsten steels are hard to get (Achim Wirtz being my only source for 115W8, and a couple German vendors online for 110WCrV5), and CFV is no longer being made (oh how how I wish it was). Talk about getting ONE steel and learning it fully, it would be a toss up between CFV and 115W8, strictly speaking for myself. I've got one sheet of CFV left, and if it weren't for Matthew Gregory helping me find it, I would be out of stock.
Click to expand...
 
Achim told me about that when we talked last. Cool to have those contacts. 110WCrV5 (1.2519)...I'll refer you to Zknives. Their composition is a bit different than composition listed on messermacherbedarf.de. Basically we're talking 1.1% carbon, not as shallow hardening as 115W8 with an Mn count a little higher (According to Zknives) at 1.0%, a touch of Ni, V, Si, Mo and about 1% Tungsten, maybe higher, but no higher than 2%.

115W8, I believe has more Tungsten in it, especially Achim's version. Like twice the tungsten. He prefers 115W8 over 110CrV5, because it has more Tungsten, and I don't blame him. You yourself know the pain in the rear it is to hand finish CFV. In all honesty, I can't tell the difference between finishing CFV, Blue 2, 110WCrV5, and 115W8. They all are very abrasive resistant...for a carbon steel.
 
I found the 115W8 to be easier to finish than the CFV, but I have only made hunter sized blades out of the former. Achim is or was at one time the "rep" to the knife making industry for Lohmann. IIRC, the current lady who runs the family biz is a childhood friend of his. Yo hsiodl see if he has any of his crazy experimental smelts like the "666" steel.
samuraistuart said:
Achim told me about that when we talked last. Cool to have those contacts. 110WCrV5 (1.2519)...I'll refer you to Zknives. Their composition is a bit different than composition listed on messermacherbedarf.de. Basically we're talking 1.1% carbon, not as shallow hardening as 115W8 with an Mn count a little higher (According to Zknives) at 1.0%, a touch of Ni, V, Si, Mo and about 1% Tungsten, maybe higher, but no higher than 2%.

115W8, I believe has more Tungsten in it, especially Achim's version. Like twice the tungsten. He prefers 115W8 over 110CrV5, because it has more Tungsten, and I don't blame him. You yourself know the pain in the rear it is to hand finish CFV. In all honesty, I can't tell the difference between finishing CFV, Blue 2, 110WCrV5, and 115W8. They all are very abrasive resistant...for a carbon steel.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top