Home HT for 1095

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unky_gumbi

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I am thinking of getting some 1095 and giving some home HT for hamon a try. I am fairly confident with doing a home HT on 1084, but anything else I send out to be done.

I wouldn't want to ask someone else to do the hamon on a blade, because I wouldn't learn how to do it myself that way. I am thinking small pieces between 7-8" overall and with 1095 being fairly inexpensive I am not too worried about destroying a few pieces in the name of learning, as long as I learn from it.

Any suggestions on how to go about it with a simple coffee can forge? Like I said I am not looking for greatness and perfection, just experimentation to learn what works for me and if I can do it.

I probably have another week or two before my tools catch up with me so I am just in the thinking out loud stage right now. And yes I have read the stickies, I just don't learn that well from reading, I am more of a hands on type to fully understand what is going on.:o

Thanks
George
 
Can you do 1095 with a clay coat in a coffee can forge...probably yes.
Will it work well, and get the most from the steel.....probably not.
Will it go wrong,twist,warp,crack.....probably yes.

1095 needs fairly good heat regulation and a 5-10 minute soak. The blade needs even heating from end to end and spine to edge. All of these are pretty much not going to happen in a coffee can forge.

Read the "working with three steels" sticky for more info.
 
I'm learning as you are. :D I decided to stick with 1080/1084 only because I can heat treat it myself. Raymond Richard gets a pretty active hamon on his 1084 and in a post P J 234's post of the 2 utility knives he did a couple nice looking hamons on the 1080 he got from Kelly Cupples.
I looked at 1095 too, and until I build my PID controlled blower forge will leave it alone.
My vote is to use 1080/1084 and work on home heat treat and hamon with it.
My 2 cents having mostly "book" knowledge on making knives. :D
 
I'm sure you can do it, but it will cost you in materials and equipment.

As I understand it, temperature regulation is key for best hamon.


Some get good results with water or brine, but Fast oil, like Parks #50 will give good activity and help control cracking.

both take cash


Have well do you learn from video? & have you seen these?
http://waltersorrellsblades.com/videos/
http://waltersorrellsblades.com/videos/making-hamons-dvd/
http://smartflix.com/store/video/6362/Hybrid-Polishing-For-Japanese-Style-Blades
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4541410/
 
So pretty much what I am hearing is, don't bother its not worth the time unless you have a temp controlled set up for HT. I guess I will just buy some more O1 and 154 to make more knives and put the money from that into a proper HT set up:thumbup:
 
I'm in the beginning stages of knife making and I've been exclusively working with 1095 because it is cheep from Jantz. I'm working on a 4x10 patio from my apartment and don't have much equipment. I started out with the coffee can type of forge and found that 1095 is very unforgiving, warps like crazy in longer pieces every time I try a brine quench. Some of it correctable with Nick Wheeler's advice on straightening during the temper some turned to scrap. Oil quenching makes a big difference. I built a larger propane kiln with a homemad refractory recipe I found somewhere online and that's helped alot. I find that 1095 in smaller pieces (3-4" blades) comes out ok but the longer the piece in relation to its thickness is a recipe for warp.

1095 is doable but prepare yourself for failure in advance to avoid dissapointment. Nothing like hours of work down the drain when you pull a warped blade out of the quench or hear a cracking ping when tempering in the oven. I'm having fun so that's all that matters, when I get better then I will send off for professional HT.
 
I would NOT recommend it. If it doesn't have an Even heat and soak for 5-10 min, and then quenched in a very fast oil, 1084 will out preform it by a mile.

I tried over and over to do it with a forge and never got very good results; which is why I, and most other maker use kilns.

Just my 2 cents!
 
I wasn't looking to make something to sell, I was thinking about trying to learn how to get a good hamon. Anything I sell gets sent out for professional heat treating. I was looking at steel prices and noticed that 1095 was fairly cheap, but from what I understand that it would just be a waste of money to even attempt it with out a proper HT set up. The money I would have spent on 1095 can be better used to buy steels to make actual knives out of at this time and just reinvest the income back into my tooling. So the idea has been put on the back burner for now, untill I have either a temp controlled forge or a kiln.
 
Forget the 01 also, unless you send it out for HT. Just my personal opinion, but I think this hamon business is getting a bit over done. Amatuers think more about a hamon than they do getting a proper HT in the process, and it adds nothing to performance even if they get it. It is nothing more than a cosmetic thing than any useful feature. JMHO
 
Hamons, filework, fancy materials, embellishment, can not make up for shoddy workmanship.
 
I got my answer, thanks to those that had something constructive to say, but I feel that this is starting to be a little insulting so I am closing it before I take it personally
 
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