L6, bull horn, and hammers

[colonial]

First, anyone use horn of this type? How is it processed (flattened)?
Any cautions you can pass along? How does it look when used as washers (i.e. leather washer handles) when polished? Any process steps other than flattening, cutting, fitting, gluing up, shaping and buffing?

Second, how does L6 compare with my standard 1084 and 5160 with regard to our generally accepted measurements of knife blade performance; flexibility, hardness, ability to sharpen to a fine edge (grain size), and toughness? For those with experience and who favor this alloy, How do you HT your blades?

Finally, a plug for Warwood Tool (They have a web site). You can get forged and heat-treated, but unground hammer heads without handles. This works great for me since I'm pretty particular how I want the face and peen dressed, and I prefer to make my own handles anyway. They are very good people and will sell you one 2lb crosspeen head if that's all you want. They are also a good source of the larger sizes of drifts if there are any other smiths out there who make more than knives.
Ed

 

[Will52100]

Havent' fooled with trying to flatten horn in some time, kinda time consumeing. Basicly boil in water or oil till it's soft and flexible, press slowly between two plates in a vise or press, let cool and it's flat. It will cup a little after cureing so you need to go a little thicker than what you think you'll need. Also if you flatten to cold or fast it will crack or de-laminate the horn.

L-6 is a steel that for a time I dearly loved, heat treated right it is nearly industructible. One test blade I made was bent 90deg. 6 1/2 times before the edge cracked. It had a 5" blade 1/8" thick and the lower 1/3 edge was quenched from nonmagnetic in minneral oil, then tempered twice at 375. Edge holding was about the same as 1095. I recently did a couple of experiments with 3/4" L-6 barstock and I seem to have lost a little toughness, not much, only a couple of bends, but the edge holding was within 30 percent of the best 52100 I have forged to date. Still working on the heat treatment to get the most out of it. L-6 is one of the most underated steels out there, but with a little care and work will make a great knife.

One other thing on horn, after finishing give a good rubdown with a paste type wax, and before putting on a knife makesure it's fully cured, best to wait a couple of years before useing.