L6 damascus question.

jdm61

jdm61

itinerant metal pounder
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
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I am going to be making some big prototypes from .275 L6 in the near future and I expect to have some "surplus" steel left over. Most of the damascus that i have made so far has been made with 1084 and 15N20. I did on unsuccessful billet with CruForgeV and 15N20 (couldn't get it to stick all that well on the outer layers) and one semi-successful piece with 115W8 and 15N20. I have had a big 1/4 x 2 x 36 stick of PG O1 and a 1 inch piece of drill rod hanging mourned my shop for like 6 or 7 years that I can use and know that O1 and L6 is a popular combination because of the compatibility of the 2 steels. What i want to know is it any of you guys have ever used L6 with another steel like CruForge V or some other type?
 
I stuck a big piece of L6 (5/16") in the middle of a 1095/15n20 billet once for something different..I had envisioned a L6 san mai with Damascus clad sides..Welded good and looked great..While laying on the table normalizing it ripped itself in half right through that thick piece of L6..Literally split right own the middle of the L6 core..I do think it was in great deal due to the thickness of the L6 and it was still a big enough piece to deeply air harden(this was L6 with Moly)..I know they have vastly different cooling rates but I "think" that if they L6 had been thinner I would not have failed so spectacularly..
 
Joe...
I've welded CFV between L6 outer layers...san mai, and it seemed to be no
more difficult than 1084/15N20. Flux was kerosene, and the weld showed the usual
dark lines along the edges, but ground off easily enough. No separation at quench (interrupted).
Contrast between L6 and CFV was less than I expected.
 
Thanks, Russ. I am leaning toward saving the CFV for fighters and bushcraft knives and using up these couple of big hunks of O1 for this little experiment.
Russ Andrews said:
Joe...
I've welded CFV between L6 outer layers...san mai, and it seemed to be no
more difficult than 1084/15N20. Flux was kerosene, and the weld showed the usual
dark lines along the edges, but ground off easily enough. No separation at quench (interrupted).
Contrast between L6 and CFV was less than I expected.
Click to expand...
 
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