New to forging W2....what can you tell me?

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godogs57

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Apr 16, 2004
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I know it is supposed to be way different from other steels with respect to forging temps, tempering, etc....what do I need to know?

Thanks in advance!
 
Forging is easy (unless you have the 2"dia Don sold). What size did you get. I try to keep my temps in the 2000-2200f range. So far as heat treating is concerned then if you are looking for a Hamon then do a lot of reading and searches on the forums. W2 is shallow hardening meaning it needs a fast quench. This is why most use Parks 50 or water. Other than that it is similar to most other steel. I quench around 1475-1500f and temper at 425-450f for small users and 500f for big choppers. You need to just get out and beat on some to see how it responds. Good luck it is a great steel
 
Relatively easy to forge, grain growth not a big problem, not too finicky to heat treat in small to medium blades IF you have the proper quenchant and it takes a nasty edge and holds it for a while and is still relatively tough. Bill Moran said that W2 doesn't give up a whole lot of toughness over 5160 and takes and holds a better edge. According to Roman Landes, you can leave it a LOT harder than you might think, like 62+ and it still will be pretty tough. I never temper above 450 even on big blades and reports back from the "field" indicate that even my early large blades hold an edge for a long time and show no signed of chipping, etc even when used to chop up whole BBQ'ed hogs and dead trees. LOL. I have used my own knives to chop up and skin a couple of "raw" hogs with the same result. Great steel, but you really need to soak it a bit before quenching and have a proper quenchant to get the most out of it.
 
Thanks folks....I had heard that W2 (I think) was the steel that had to go straight from ht to temper or it would crack....am I right? I might be mistaken though.
 
There are several that "can"..All are Hypereutectoid steels. 1095,W-1,W-2 etc..It is best to go straight from quench to temper with these steels..They will not always(or even often for that matter) break in between but why chance it..Clean up after temper just to be safe..
 
Like Chuck, I forge W2 hot (2000+) at the beginning, then reduce temp as I get closer to finishing. It really is a trouble free steel when it comes to forging.

And like Joe said, W2 is Much tougher than I first thought. I haven't been able to chip an edge at 60-62 Rc chopping seasoned oak.

Also, I've never cracked a W2 blade, even waiting 24 hours to temper...

Great stuff!
 
Most of the advice you see about tempering W2 immediately after the quench will be in threads dealing with water quenching. It is more important then, you can water quench a blade and have it crack minutes later. I've not had W2 crack other than from a water quench.
 
Yea, Salems right..I said they can but I didnt elaborate as to "How"..The only blades Ive had break after the quench were water quenched..
 
What tempering temps would you guys recommend to get a 58-59 Rc?
 
I wouldn't leave it that "soft." I don't go any hotter than 450 for tempering and have been doing it at 425 lately for most knives. Don knows the tempering chart by heart so hopefully, he will chime in again. Remember that with big knives, you may be softer in the middle of the piece up by the spine and at the ricasso anyway.
AA Forge said:
What tempering temps would you guys recommend to get a 58-59 Rc?
Click to expand...
 
Don Hanson III said:
And like Joe said, W2 is Much tougher than I first thought. I haven't been able to chip an edge at 60-62 Rc chopping seasoned oak.
Click to expand...

Given this info, I'm wondering why a person would want to temper a W2 blade to under a 60 Rockwell?
 
Roman Landes says that if you temper it under 62, you are leaving some performance potential on the bench. I am not quite so brave on big blades, but I don
t go below 60 as far as I can tell.
Danbo said:
Given this info, I'm wondering why a person would want to temper a W2 blade to under a 60 Rockwell?
Click to expand...
 
I temper W2 for one hour twice at 450f. I don't have a hardness tester, but have takin a few blades to Hank knickmeyer's shop. They always test out to 61-62 Rc. My W2 blades at this hardness hold up much better than other steels at same hardness.
 
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