Blue #2 or white paper

Matt Rochester

Matt Rochester

Joined
Nov 28, 2014
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I am looking for either steel to make some San Mai but can't find any in America that isn't already in s San Mai billet. Does anyone know where I could get some? Is it something Aldo normally keeps and is just out right now? I'm going to call him tomorrow anyways so I guess I can just ask him.
 
Pretty much have to get it from Dictum in Germany or Workshop Haven in the UK..Aldo only ever had some blue#2 and its been gone for a while sadly.
 
I spent a while cajoling Aldo at Ashokan to get his foundry to make a run of Hitachi white equivalent. He said we would have to agree to buy it. I told him I think the run ( 10,000 to 15,000 pounds) would sell out in a week. What everyone should do is send Aldo an email asking him to stock the Blue #2 and a white equivalent. If everyone asks for it, he will see a reason to order it.

You fellows have to realize that we are talking about Aldo making orders in the range of $50,000. That is a lot to spend on one purchase unless you know you will recoup it soon. So, talk him up fellows.


I may start a new thread that is sort of an on-line petition saying who wants this steel.
 
if you change your mind and want some Suminagashi san-mai, I have some bars available listed for sale
 
Cajoling with Aldo is always fun. Stacy, do you know which mill is he using in Germany?
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I spent a while cajoling Aldo at Ashokan to get his foundry to make a run of Hitachi white equivalent. He said we would have to agree to buy it. I told him I think the run ( 10,000 to 15,000 pounds) would sell out in a week. What everyone should do is send Aldo an email asking him to stock the Blue #2 and a white equivalent. If everyone asks for it, he will see a reason to order it.

You fellows have to realize that we are talking about Aldo making orders in the range of $50,000. That is a lot to spend on one purchase unless you know you will recoup it soon. So, talk him up fellows.


I may start a new thread that is sort of an on-line petition saying who wants this steel.
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Aldo mentioned to me on the phone, maybe 2 years ago now, that he was working on having a White 1 equiv made by that mill. I don't think anything ever came of it. He had several formulations to settle on one, but it was something like 1.4% carbon, a little Silicon, and Fe balance.

It would indeed be a hot ticket steel, especially for the custom kitchen cutlery, as there is really nothing like that available.
 
Have you guys ever considered buying from another small Japanese steel maker who offer something comparable under different names?
 
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There have been a few folks who purchased a large amount of Takefu steel ( pretty much identical to Hitachi). It was Blue#2 equivalent, and other laminated types, IIRC. The white and its equivalent is apparently considered a state secret in Japan and they won't ship it out.

Quite a few years ago, a group of us attempted to but one metric ton .. yes 2200 pounds ... of White #1 directly from Hitachi. They said they would be glad to sell their steel to us in the USA, but we had to meet their minimums. First it was 500 pounds, then, 1000, then 2200. They played around with the "Oh, you need to buy this amount", and "Oh you need to have it shipped to a bonded warehouse", etc. We met each demand, and when they were out of excuses, they just said , NO. I believe Aldo had the same response.
 
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I have a friend that travels to Japan for business a few times a year. I wonder if he could purchase some of the white there and ship it back to me? I don't know how much we could get and have no idea what the shipping cost would be but maybe it's worth looking into.
 
We even looked into that option. It didn't work out either. Seems the white #1 is very closely controlled.

Have your friend make a call to Hitachi and see what he can find out. You never know - things might have changed.
 
While not White#2 or Blue#2, FWIW I found other Japanese steel are imported and sold in most Asian markets. VG10 for $7 per lb in uncut large sheets of 3mm. Or ZDP-189 about $23 per lb in pre-cut bar stock (retail price). Maybe there is no conspiracy theory?
 
Ive looked for years for a source of white #1 or Blue #1.. Ive asked friends who travel to pick it for me and they tried but could not get it..Ive asked every supplier I know of, even for a small bar..I like playing with extreme high carbon simple steels like white #1 but about the closest thing I can find is the steel used by Nicholson to make files and even its not as high carbon as white #1..Its about 1.27% while white is around 1.40%...
Plenty of good steels out there but we all want it because we cant get it..Our hunger will not be sated by white or blue #2..We wont be satisfied until we get the #1 if nothing else to satisfy curiosity..
 
Do you think that Nicholson steel is W1 with the carbon content on the high end of the specs? That would be like White #1.5 I would think.
Kentucky said:
Ive looked for years for a source of white #1 or Blue #1.. Ive asked friends who travel to pick it for me and they tried but could not get it..Ive asked every supplier I know of, even for a small bar..I like playing with extreme high carbon simple steels like white #1 but about the closest thing I can find is the steel used by Nicholson to make files and even its not as high carbon as white #1..Its about 1.27% while white is around 1.40%...
Plenty of good steels out there but we all want it because we cant get it..Our hunger will not be sated by white or blue #2..We wont be satisfied until we get the #1 if nothing else to satisfy curiosity..
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I've seen lab specs on about a dozen first hand and they have all been between 1.25% and 1.30% so I'd say it's pretty consistent as far as carbon content goes but they still probably fall on w1 specs
 
What is the Uddeholm or Sanvik carbon steelthat you see some mid level Japanese makers using? Is it basically a lower carbon range W1 equivalent? i ask because i have heard rumor that the ore coming out of those Swedish mines is at least as "clean" as the stuff coming out of the magical Japanese mines.
 
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You can get White paper here in Germany im not sure if it's #1 here are the specs listed (C 1,1 - 1,2%, Si 0,1 - 0,2%, P <0,025%, S <0,004%) it's about a half hour drive from me

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That's the place I never tried it because it's to thick for me

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