Moving along from 1095... A2 next? Thoughts?

A

alclark2

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Feb 6, 2014
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I've used 1095 for a year now starting out.. Using my Evenheat oven and Parks 50 it has treated me well. I will say that I don't mind a patina personally, but I feel as though I need something with some stain and rust resistance if I plan to start selling to friends and family. Many non-knife people show interest but I'm a little reluctant. I like the chromium in A2. I figured it would be the next logical step. I can start air quenching with aluminum plates and compressed air. I have not done any cryo work nor do I have the funds to currently invest heavily in my shop. I figured some A2 and quench plates are the less costly and best step.

Thoughts on moving to A2? Any other steel I should give a try?
 
A2 is going to patina as well. Not as fast as 1095 maybe but it's not enough chromium to be terribly resistant to oxidation. I also believe it needs cryo to meet it's full potential.

AEB-L however, is actually corrosion resistant, performs reasonably well, is less expensive than A2, requires quench plates and foil just like A2, but can reach it's full potential with just a dry ice slurry that doesn't require the investment into an LN dewar.

I think A2 is great, I just don't think it fits the niche you're describing.
 
It sounds like I'm searching for something that doesn't exist. Thanks for the heads up. I didn't expect miracles out of A2 but I did expect it to be significantly better. I don't have a problem explaining a patina but the rust is too much. I feel that I carry my 1095 fixed blades and they rust quickly. I carry 1095 slipjoints and don't run into issues, but I think I maintain them better too. I'll look into the AEB-L.
 
I think of 3 levels of corrosion resistance: none, medium and high. High is anything with >13% chromium and certainly considered stainless steel. None is anything 5% or less from plain carbon like 1095 to A2. Medium are things like D2 and possibly 3V in the 6%-12% range that definitely exhibit more corrosion resistance than the "none" group but certainly not stainless.

Anyway what I mean is, I'm not aware of any steels in the "medium" range that don't get rather complicated quickly in HT or need for LN or whatever, because it seems the nature of things that when they get into that chromium content, they're also getting a fair amount of other alloying that complicates the heat treat.

That's one of the things that makes AEB-L stand out. It's relatively low alloy for being stainless. It's relatively low carbon. Because of this it's about the easiest corrosion resistant steel out there to work with and heat treat, and even if it's not the best performing steel available, it makes sufficiently well performing knives.
 
You can use z-wear with high temper. It will patina a bit, but nothing like simple carbon steels. It’s similar to 3-v in composition and performance. Run it harder than 3-v, Rc62+. I’m using cryo plus low temper with pretty great results, but my first knives with high temper are no slouches either.
 
I hadn't thought of that and I don't know why. Z-wear even with the high temper and no cryo will blow your mind if all you've worked with is 1095.
 
You'll find that all of these alternatives require the ability to hold at temp for a while. 1095 and A2 require different heat treat setups and methods. You need a good oven and should consider cryo. If you can do A2, you can do about anything.

You'll find that 1095 spoiled you with ease of grinding. A2 isn't bad though.

A2 is a good choice, just be aware you need a 20-30 minute soak at temp and it benefits from cryo where 1095 not so much.

A2 rusts pretty bad, but not as bad as 1095.

If possible use domestic material. Precision Marshal A2 is import. I like Latrobe. It isn't terribly expensive. You can also get ESR A2 for a little extra.

Consider AEBL for a stain resistant relatively simple steel. You still need good time and temp controls and cryo, but it has some of the edge stability of 1095 that is a bear to achieve in more complex steels.
 
i would look at O1, O2, or O7. the heat treat is actually easier than 1095 as it does not require an extra-fast quench. O1 is available in thickness from 1/64" to 1" and will cost about the same as 1095. all of these steels is at their peak of hardness/toughness at Rc62-63(350f-375f temper). I have done mules at Rc64-65 and they all performed well. they do well when ground very thin, 0.03 or thinner 1/2" above the edge
 
While I agree O1 can be a step up in performance, how is it any better at corrosion resistance?
 
what grit is your final finish ? i have noticed 400 grit on 1095 will rust when grinding it just from dipping the blade to cool it off. but i carried a mirror finish 1095 for 2 years, used it heavily and it gets wet, marked up and scratched but no rust. one of these days i will do a rust/corrosion test with different grit finishes. i am thinking the finer the finish, the less surface area is exposed, so it takes longer to rust.
 
you would see corrosion resistance if you went to AEB-L or 440C, not going to see any difference with A2.
I think O series would be a good next steel because parts of the heat treat are less critical than 1095. you definitely need good furnace temperature control, but any quench oil or canola works just fine. In very thin sections, 1/32", 2 seconds in oil then quench plates works. get your own HT procedure down and concentrate on other parts of the puzzle.
 
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