Heat Treating O-1 ?????

M.FREEZE

M.FREEZE

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I have some PG 1/16'' O-1 stock. Does thin stock require a higher Rockwell hardness? I am trying to avoid the steel being flexible. Is a rigid knife possible with 1/16" steel or is it going to be flexible anyway due to how thin it is?
 
hardening doesn't have any effect on flexibility except setting the point at which it stays bent. Doesn't seem to make sense but that's physics.

-Page
 
Yup... Page is the Sage.

It took me quite a bit of testing(and broken blades) to begin finding this out for myself... then someone pointed me to Modulus of Elasticity. I wished I had read that BEFORE stumbling about in the shop, wasting perfectly good steel.
 
1/16 is super thin and usually reserved for small folding knives and filet knives. Unless you are making either one of those, I'd pick something at least 3/32.

Your grind and heat treat will affect how much flex a knife can have.
 
I wanted to try a fillet knife due to how thin it was, and the fact it's PG. I've never worked with O-1. Will it make a suitable fillet knife or kitchen knife?
 
O1 is a good steel. 1/16th will make it sharp and flexible. I would probably back off a little (I have not done this so I am talking out my butt) on the Rockwell so its flexxie if you are going to use as a filet knife. Maybe 56-57rc. I have a little Kiridashi I made from 1/16th 01 and its like a laser at 59rc and a shallow 15 degree grind.
 
M.FREEZE said:
I've never worked with O-1. Will it make a suitable fillet knife or kitchen knife?
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Yes! Thin O1 is excellent for fine-edged knives. It's pretty easy to get a very sharp, crisp edge on it. Keep it clean and dry or it will rust.

zachtateknives said:
I would probably back off a little (I have not done this so I am talking out my butt) on the Rockwell so its flexxie if you are going to use as a filet knife. Maybe 56-57rc.
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Yes, you are. :grumpy:

Regardless of steel choice, a filet/boning knife should be thin for flexibility, and hard so the edge doesn't roll over. O1 with good HT can happily support a very keen, 60+ Rc edge. Just use it for cutting, not chopping.
 
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What hardening does is change the point at which the steel will not bend back from torsion (nonelastic yield) it does not have anything to do with flexibility, that is entirely cross section. Broke my head when Kevin Cashen and Tim Zowada demonstrated it but annealed and hardened bars of identical section take exactly the same amount the same amount of force to take the same bend right up until the point where the annealed bar yielded.

-Page
 
james terrio said:
Yes, you are. :grumpy:

Regardless of steel choice, a filet/boning knife should be thin for flexibility, and hard so the edge doesn't roll over. O1 with good HT can happily support a very keen, 60+ Rc edge. Just use it for cutting, not chopping.
Click to expand...

sunshadow said:
What hardening does is change the point at which the steel will not bend back from torsion (nonelastic yield) it does not have anything to do with flexibility, that is entirely cross section. Broke my head when Kevin Cashen and Tim Zowada demonstrated it but annealed and hardened bars of identical section take exactly the same amount the same amount of force to take the same bend right up until the point where the annealed bar yielded.

-Page
Click to expand...

OK that makes sense. Thanks guys!
 
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