O1 sori

[Brian.Evans]

My camp sword is in 3/16" full flat ground O1. It started out trying to be a wakizashi, but it's turned into something else I think. The entire piece is like tha Japanese style that is beveled the entire length though.

Anyway, is it possible to differentially quench this blade to cause a sori? I think it would really work well as a sword if it had a sori. I'm just not sure if O1 is suited for it.

Opinions?

 

[deker]

IIRC one of the things tool makers like about O1 is its dimensional stability in heat treatment. Also, I've heard it said that Sori in simple carbon steels seems to be caused by conversion to martensite happening more rapidly in the thinner edge section and causing expansion of the edge material thus creating the curve.

My bet is that you won't likely get O1 to behave similarly without doing something in the HT that will lower the quality of the HT substantially.

-d

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

No sori in O-1 or blades quenched in oil by standard means. If you want sori, just grind or forge it in before HT, unless you are doing yaki-ire.
Most of my swords with a curve or sori are pre-shaped and oil quenched.

It is slightly more complex that the above statement, but that is the basics of it.

 

[GHEzell]

Yes, O1 requires an oil quench (do not even think of quenching it in water or brine), so the best you can hope for is negative sori, which is probably not what you are wanting....