O-6

[silver_pilate]

Well, a friend of mine gave me a bag full of some O-6 pieces that look like they came off some sort of machinary. Wondering if they were hardened, I tested them with a file, and I could not even get the file to bite. Not even a nick. So, I throw 'em in the forge for a little bit to try to pull some hardness out, and I was finally able to get a bit to bite in it, but one hole later, that bit was toast. My titanium bits won't even touch the stuff. I was considering using some pieces as bolsters as they are all small, but dang, it's going to be way more work than it's worth.

Anyone have any experience with O-6? I know it's a step up in carbon from O-1 and people say it gets extremely hard. Heck, if it wasn't such a punk to work, I'd say make a knife out of it. What other properties does this stuff have, and how can I get it soft enough to drill?

--nathan

 

[mete]

Like any tool steel it can be annealed but O-6 is a graphitic tool steel and the graphite acts as a chip breaker making it a free machining grade. That gives it some inherent brittleness ,not what you want for a knife. Other tool steels are available in free machining grades and the same comments hold for them . A 2 -3 hour 1200F should give you a subcritical anneal.

 

[TALON158]

Have a hunter forged from O6 from Jay Hendrickson. He told me its harder to forge and finish than W2 and O1. Never used it, so I wouldnt know.
Nathan, you might wanna give Jay a call... Think he has made more than a few out of O6, if I remember correctly, he forges it from round stock.

 

[warrior24]

Maybe you can use it to make Damascus. Thought I don't know what steels would go well with it.

 

[Walt2]

There was a maker in Victoria, Tx named Clyde Fischer who used O6 for most of his blades for many years. He is deceased now.