Can 26C3 with .45% Manganese Produce a Good Hamon?

HPD

HPD

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Can I get a good hamon with 26C3 that has .45% manganese? The heat is "NVV" from Alpha Knife Supply. I've read that you want as little manganese as possible, and this heat is right at the max. When I get around to making a kitchen knife from the stuff I don't want to waste my time on a hamon if it's an exercise in futility or the odds are stacked against me.

Thanks,
Scott
 
Scott, opinions will vary on what constitutes a "good" hamon. To me, a "good" hamon is like what you see on Japanese swords. The steels that will give a good hamon are tamahagane, W1, W2, low Mn 1095, 1075, White 1 and 2, and maybe a few others I forget.

The "hamon" on 26C3 is what I would really more call a "differential hardening line". I have seen some decent hamons with 26c3, I've done a few myself, but for my mileage, it really is closer to a "differential hardening line", and does not have the beauty and activity that the lower Mn steels can offer.

It's not just the Mn count of 26C3, either. That 0.3% chromium is detrimental to hamon as well.

Again, you will probalby have other makers chime in and actually show some hamon photos with 26c3 that you might think look great. I don't put hamon on 26c3 any longer. If hamon is what I want, W-2 tool steel is my go to.

But I wouldn't say that it "is an exercist in futility", nor are the "odds stacked against" you at all. It's just not the best steel for great looking hamons, but definitely doable.
 
Clayed properly and using the lower end of the austenitization range 26C3 will make an acceptable hamon. Like Stuart said, it won't have ashi and wispy clouds, but will be a reasonable suguha hamon.
 
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Wasn't expecting such quick answers on Christmas Day. Thank you, guys!
 
As Stacy and Stuart said, 26c3 is not the best option for a hamon. I've seen some people get really good activity but that's the best I've managed to get.
 
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I’ve gotten some decent hamons with Sheffcut which is based off 26c3 but with slightly less Mn and Cr and a small addition of Niobium. I have a bunch of 26c3 to test out next and expect similar or slightly less active hamons. So far W2 is still my favorite steel for active hamons, but you can still get some activity on these other steels. In the US W2 is easier to source in a wider range of sizes in my opinion so that also is nice, for guys that forge you can also get W1 drill rod almost anywhere in the country if you have a grainger nearby and you can get specs for each bar to see if it would be good for hamons or not.
 
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For hamons regardless of steel I pre grind to .030-.040 at the edge and bring the grind up to about 80-90% of my finished height. I apply a thin coat of clay and then usually add some lines or fingers coming down from the clay towards the edge to help create more ashi or cloudiness in the final hamon. You’ll likely need to play with the time soaked in the kiln and hardening temp to get the best results, I usually find lower hardening temp with shorter soaks gives the best ashi in the transition area but sometimes you risk having to requench or up your temperature to find the best balance between fully hardening the edge and getting the most activity.
 
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Since you specifically mentioned kitchen knives:

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This set of three are the only kitchen knives I've made with 26C3. They were for a lady rancher in KS. I have made many hundreds of small EDC/cowboy type knives from it. That line of demarcation mentioned by some others is what I'm trying to achieve. I call it a "working" hamon. I'm not spending a lot of time on it nor chasing it down the hamon rabbit hole. My customers are gonna use the heck out of em anyhoo. Ya'll lose most of the hamon and get a good patina. Sometimes I get good hamons and sometimes not so good. I can only recall one or two that didn't have anything. I would say that the steel exceeds my technique and someone else could probably get more out if it than I do.

What I call good:

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Not so good but still something:

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A couple with some life:

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Rehabbed:

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Another:

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Dave's term "working hamon" is unique and a very good describer of the type you get on 26c3.

And just as he hinted at, these days I won't even make a kitchen knife with a hamon on it unless it is specifically requested. All that effort and pride only to have it washed out by the patina down the road. I try to steer clients away from hamon on kitchen knives, but in the end if that's what they want, I'll be more than happy to charge them for it.
 
I've found that the quality of the polish you have before you start etching makes a big difference in showing up what is there

And yeah, hamons aren't the most practical thing on kitchen knives, but I enjoy making them and polishing them :P
 
I'm with Alex Topfer Alex Topfer in that is not practical for kitchen, but it is showy when new.

This a 26C3 kitchen knife after over a year of use. The hamon is still 'visible', but I'm the only one who can spot it. There's more color from all the different things it's been used to cut and the various folk's cleaning habits, than any hardening process.

(BTW, it's still the best cutting knife in the block, out performing AEB-L and MagnaCut.)
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