How would you tell a 1084 blade from one made out of O1????

David Loukides

David Loukides

Joined
Mar 17, 2006
Messages
1,363
Hi Guy's,
Both were heat treated correctly. I forgot to stamp the tang and the felt pen didn't survive. :o
5160 vs 1084 is easier when finish sanded. But what about 1084 vs O1?
Thanks!!!
 
wouldn't the 1084 etch easier becuase of the lower chromium content? the difference may be negligible, but it might be worth a try.
 
The O1 has tungsten, and will throw more of a red spark.
 
O1 would be harder to finish than 1084. Yes the spark test can tell you you need to take a piece of hardened 1084 and a piece of hardened o1 and compare them to your finished knives. next time make a file-mark to identify which is which. I make the file marks then have to remember what the file marks mean AARRGGG. Guess I should write it down.:D
 
1084 tastes spicy while O1 is more tangy. It may take a few bites to tell. Mild steel has a blander flavor...

1084 finishes a bit easier too, that could help. :D
 
Good question. Without a metallurgist on hand I don't think anyone can distinguish between any two carbon knife making steels.
 
The best way I know of is to put them into some vinegar. The O1 wont take a patina nearly as well as 1084; it will be lighter and more even.

I have put patinas on both before and there tends to be a big difference.

I hope this helps!
 
good question.. did you ht them together or mixed 'em up on the bench??

I agree about the patina and also if you take them to the grinder you may be able to see a little difference in each when using the same grit, or at least with me I think 01 has a little more shine in the grain??

this leads me to something else I've thought of before, without absolute certainty how do we know just what steel we're getting from suppliers?? I mean label wise, and again what we sell to others, what we think may be 1095 is 1084, and vise-versa ... I'm sure there have been mix ups before in the stocking dept.. :D
 
Very good point, Battle Creek. This forum is filled with posts espousing the virtues of one steel over another with absolute clarity but when asked to distinguish one from another, there is confusion.
 
Battle Creek Knives said:
good question.. did you ht them together or mixed 'em up on the bench??

I agree about the patina and also if you take them to the grinder you may be able to see a little difference in each when using the same grit, or at least with me I think 01 has a little more shine in the grain??

this leads me to something else I've thought of before, without absolute certainty how do we know just what steel we're getting from suppliers?? I mean label wise, and again what we sell to others, what we think may be 1095 is 1084, and vise-versa ... I'm sure there have been mix ups before in the stocking dept.. :D
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This is a very legitimate concern. We've had to go ID parts that came in on pallets that weren't labeled. One was titanium and one was 316 stainless. After that we went to do a spot check about every month or so. More experienced makers can tell surprisingly small differences, especially during forging or heat treatment. All those elements are in there to do different things. I know of one maker that can tell the difference during forging between L6 and 8670M, both having similar carbon contents, and both being nickel-chromium-molybdenum steels.

For the 2 steels the OP is asking about, O1 should hold an edge longer. If they weren't already heat treated, you might be able to tell during heat treating. 1084 will soften at lower temperatures than O1. O1 will harden to a greater degree in air. In knives, so many factors contribute to peformance that the blades would have to be vitually identical to tell them apart without very careful testing.
 
The best way I know of is to put them into some vinegar. The O1 wont take a patina nearly as well as 1084; it will be lighter and more even.

I have put patinas on both before and there tends to be a big difference.
Click to expand...

and do this with a KNOWN piece of each steel. Compare the knowns with the unknowns.
 
Battle Creek Knives said:
I'm sure there have been mix ups before in the stocking dept.. :D
Click to expand...

Just wait till you have some "440C" blades come back from the heat-treater's, tested out at 46Rc. :confused: Turns out my former supplier sold me a nice shiny bar of mislabeled 416SS :mad: I was mad three times... wasted belts and time grinding useless blades, paid for HT on useless blades, and wasted perfectly good guard/bolster material. :grumpy:
 
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