Help Identifying Textured Steel

[cubegleamer]

I orderd some 440c from a knife supplier about 3 months ago and they called to tell me they were out of stock. The person I talked to on the phone talked me into getting some D2 insted. I loved the D2. It came with a rough textured finish and I really liked it. The problem is that I can't remember where I got it because I get material from 6 different suppliers. I thought it was Texas Knife Maker's so I called them and sent them photos. They assured me that the D2 they had was the same so I bought about $100 worth. It is not the same. Can anyone tell me what this finish is called? TKM sent me something called "Pickel Finish". The finished texture is not as rough as the steel I'm looking for. Here are a few photos of knives I made with the D2 that I'm looking for.

 

[S.Alexander]

It's mill scale. Texas knife probably supplied you with surface ground steel.

 

[Jason Fry]

That looks like regular mill scale to me.

 

[lukus]

I agree with the mill scale. Yours is particularly nice because it's so even. Those look great. Most of mine is a mixture of that texture and smooth areas from rolling. BTW, I hate precision ground steel. The grinding scratches are usually deeper than the natural scale. And because they're scratches, you can't leave a single bit on any kind of mirror finish or it looks terrible. A tiny deeper pit isn't nearly as apparent.

 

[Lieblad]

.......

 

[P.Brewster]

These pics show steel that has been de-scaled. HRPO = hot rolled, pickled and oiled. Pickling is an acid bath. Alternatively, some steel is de-scaled with steel shot blasting. For example, 80CrV2 plate is "hot rolled, shot blasted, annealed, oiled."

 

[cubegleamer]

Any idea of where can I buy blade steel like that in my photos? HRPO = hot rolled, pickled and oiled.

 

[P.Brewster]

Any idea of where can I buy blade steel like that in my photos? HRPO = hot rolled, pickled and oiled.

Can't say I do. As someone mentioned, the exact look/feel of the finish will vary mill-to-mill and perhaps batch-to-batch.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

You could try creating a similar finish yourself.

Take some steel and heat it to 2000F and hold for a minute. Cool in air to black, knock off any loose scale, and repeat half a dozen times. Pickle in sodium bi-sulfate solution overnight, scrub clean with a wire brush, and examine the surface. Repeat as many times as needed to get the desired forge finish.

If this works to your satisfaction, I would take a piece of steel and perform the blade, leaving a thick edge ( .050"). Do the above texturing process, and then do HT. Re-grind the bevels and finish the knife post-HT.