Recommendation? Hamon on O2, possible water quench?

[Leonardo Felici]

Hello fellow knife makers,
I've been wanting to make a little higonokami for so long and it finally come its time. I wanted to create an hamon on the blade and after some research, I found out that the big discrepancy in the process is the quenching. I do use Bohler K720 O2 high carbon steel which it's quenched in oil, the hamon technique require a water quench which is more brutal and might crach the steel I'm using. I really need a solution for this step and i think that i could achieve the final look I'm looking for. If you have any tip on how I could make this work please enlight me.

Have a great day everybody!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

O-1 is an oil quench steel.
O-1 will almost surely crack in a water quench.
Fast oil ( Parks #50 or equivalent) will attain a hamon.
O-1 isn't a good choice for a hamon because it has too much alloying, especially manganese.
For your project try 1070, W-1, or any low alloy carbon steel.

 

[12345678910]

You won't get a proper hamon with O2

The best you could do is to torchheat the edge and oil quench -- say canola oil.