Forged steel vs. stock removal...quality

M

MCoughlin

Joined
Feb 1, 2005
Messages
471
Hi guys,

I am currently only making stock removal blades but I'm really starting to love those hamons. I noticed they are mostly on th 10... series and some 5160 and I've seen O-1 used as well. My question is ..If I make a knife from 5160 by stockremoval and someone else makes one by forging etc., will the forged be better steel when finished? I've heard that pounding the steel rids it of it's impurities ..true or no? I figured with todays technology most steel should be pretty decent quality. I know from working in a steel making plant that every steel we make is kept within pretty tight parameters as far as chemistry goes. But still I'm curious. I have no experience forging.

Mike Coughlin
 
Mike-

If you're after a hamon, you really need to be concerned with the steel and the heat-treating process, not the way the blade was shaped.

You'll get MUCH better results if you use the 10XX, W1, or W2. They are shallow hardening and will be much more conducive to getting what you're after.

:D

-Nick-
 
For the quality, the method of production shouldn't effect quality assuming equal heat treatments at the end. In the old days forging was needed to remove inclusions and voids from the bloom, same for people who smelt their own steel today, but for steel rolled in the mill it doesn't matter.
 
mikxx1 said:
Hi guys,

I am currently only making stock removal blades but I'm really starting to love those hamons. I noticed they are mostly on th 10... series and some 5160 and I've seen O-1 used as well. My question is ..If I make a knife from 5160 by stockremoval and someone else makes one by forging etc., will the forged be better steel when finished? I've heard that pounding the steel rids it of it's impurities ..true or no? I figured with todays technology most steel should be pretty decent quality. I know from working in a steel making plant that every steel we make is kept within pretty tight parameters as far as chemistry goes. But still I'm curious. I have no experience forging.

Mike Coughlin
Click to expand...
:) here's some reading for you
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=288176&perpage=20&pagenumber=1
this has been done to death here :) 4 pages of it..
 
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