German steel

jdm61

jdm61

itinerant metal pounder
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
47,357
I know that some folks lust after German steel like 1.2519 and the "obsolete" 1.2442/115W8, but what are the other similar steels that have higher carbon and tungsten content that some of you have mentioned?
 
There is 135WCrV4 (1.2513). I think Achim used to stock it, and may still have some...not too sure. Hopefully Aldo will get some of these steels in, as there is nothing like them available to us here. O1 being the closest, then Aldo's Blue 2 that he had.
 
1.2419 was the other one that I was thinking of. It has like 1.3% tungsten,but no vanadium.
 
If you want excess tungsten and vanadium, z -wear takes a much finer edge than I expected. It's air hardening though.
 
I use O1, O2 , 1.2513 and 115w8.
I could very well get by with 115w8 alone.
Favorite steel ever.
 
A number of us could kinda do that too, Erik (but I stillhaev a pile of Don Hanson W2 for hamon time). Unfortunately, the only place we know where you can get 115W8 is from Achim's play stash. Very limited supply these days. I still have a couple of small pieces left over that I am saving. That sujihiki that I had in 2013 got so sharp just on Claude's belt grinder that if you thought about it for more that 5 seconds, you would bleed!!!:eek:;) That 1.2513 looks nasty. Where do you get that? We may eventually be able to get O2 here for nefarious forge welding purposes. ;)
erik markman said:
I use O1, O2 , 1.2513 and 115w8.
I could very well get by with 115w8 alone.
Favorite steel ever.
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The 1.2513 was made in the early 70's. I got it from a friend. When it is gone it is gone.
115w8 does a nice hamon also. Alex Salsi does them all the time. But he can do a hamon on a silver spoon.
 
erik markman said:
Alex Salsi does them all the time. But he can do a hamon on a silver spoon.
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All while doing a dance and telling jokes in at least 4-5 languages, right? LOL. I know that the Japanese can get a hamon on Blue steel which is quite similar?.
 
samuraistuart made me a pair of pairing knives from 1.2519/O7 and I'm a real fan. Keep an edge forever, patina very predictably and controllable with kitchen use and light saber sharp. Can't comment on how it is to work with, but as an end user it's close to my favorite indoor use steel.
 
ndmiller said:
samuraistuart made me a pair of pairing knives from 1.2519/O7 and I'm a real fan. Keep an edge forever, patina very predictably and controllable with kitchen use and light saber sharp. Can't comment on how it is to work with, but as an end user it's close to my favorite indoor use steel.
Click to expand...
Thanks Noah....I love that steel, no doubt. As far as working them, they are butter soft as annealed, but when hardened (especially the 115W8), it's a pain to get a hand rubbed finish, like Cru Forge V. If I could only have 1 oil quenching carbon steel to play with, 115W8.
I have a petty in 1.2519 that I use strictly for slicing meat. The patina is gorgeous, blue and purple!
 
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