good core steel

brets-ftw

brets-ftw

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Sep 11, 2010
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hey guys ive been playing around with a few ideas i have for some knives, and one of which is to do a bimetal blade like some of the kershaws or the carter knives, now i have plenty of cheap steel to use for the siding but what should i use for the core, i was thinking possibly O1, A2,W2, maybe even 1095, idk the blade specs would be

4-5 in long
-clip point, possibly japanese tanto
-stick tang
-hopefully differential heating
-scandi grind

ask for anything more if need be

Brets-ftw
 
For those choices, there would be no advantage to making a laminated ( san-mai) blade. Making it from a single bar would be far superior. If you are going to use a core metal that would be too brittle in higher hardness ranges, then that would make laminating it a sensible choice. The other reason to laminate a core material is to provide corrosion resistance. Using stainless steel for the sides and a hard carbon steel for the core is done to gain this. That, however, is a very difficult process.

Core materials that could be good choices are D-2, and other high alloy steels. Sides could be anything from M30 to 1060.

The other reason to do this is for the appearance of the sides. Using wrought iron for the sides can get a nice look. Wrought Iron and 1095/W2 work well.
 
thanks for the reply, i have some 1020 strips that i was planning for the san mai effect, (btw thanks for the term it escaped me at the time lol) and for the reasoning that youve listed, i think ill try to look into something tungsten based, i guess it would be T1, F1 or H39, though i havent heard of those steels being used often,

lol as for the stainless to carbon thing, ive already tried that while welding= no bueno

but i digress, ive also heard that sometimes the different metals can delaminate and start splitting apart, how can i prevent this from happening?
 
You prevent delamination by obtaining a complete weld. Start with heavier pieces of steel, and forge weld them together . Repeat the welding heats a couple of times. Then reduce the thickness to that desired by drawing out the steel. If it is still together, it will stay together.

If you just want the soft side/hard center thing, try your 1020 with a 1095 core for starters. After you get the welding procedure down pat, then try more complex alloys ( which will have their own welding issues).

BTW, san-mai means three-layer.
 
thanks for the advice guys ill be sure to start with some 1095 and work my way up

@bladesmth - thanks for the clarification however i was referring to the two different types of metals not two layers but again thanks
 
Stacey - Will O1 work as a core steel with wrought iron? If so, what welding/heat treat issues should I be aware of?
 
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