Quick (and odd) 1/16" O6 Question

[D.A. Guertin]

Well, had the opportunity to acquire some O6 at (what I guess is) a nice price, so figured I'd play a little bit, not having a clue what I'm doing with it. Haven't used anything in the 1/16" range as of yet, but I just did tonight. So now I have a nice little 6" o.a.l. neck knife blade I ground out of this evil stuff, and I'm thinking ahead to the heat treat (not that I'll be doing it, mind you).

So, here's the question. Should I just have it run up full-hard, tempered back, then bevel, or should I just go ahead bevel it first, but then risk cork-screwing in the heat treat? Any idea who might be able to heat treat this without it getting so much scale I no longer have a feasible blade? Somebody with some PBC, maybe? Actually need these questions answered for 1/16" A2 as well, as I'll be starting into some of that tomorrow.

Thanks much all,

Darryl

 

[mete]

While you can make a blade from 06 it is a graphitic tool steel which makes it a free machining grade and that means some inheirent brittleness so it won't make the best blade......Corkscrewing ,why would it do that ?....A2 will make a better blade.

 

[D.A. Guertin]

Mete,

Thanks for the reply mate. Mainly picked this up as it was a good price, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Cashen was aginst it for forging, but figured it would be fine for grinding from what I can tell. Ran the numbers on it, and it seemed like it would be OK for a bldae, so I decided to give it a go. Supposed to be better than my bread and butter steel, O1, as far as edge holding, and these aren't going to be 'heavy use' knives (nipping strings, clipping coupons, shanking some halfwit thug in the ribs if need be...). Bob Engnath also seemed to think it was decent, at least as far as the write-up left on his site (God rest him).

No doubt the A2 will be better, but I'm just not used to dealing with anything this thin, so I guess I'm just being overly concerned that one of my babies isn't going to make it. Happens, but hurts every time... Heck, I've made armour out of thicker steel before, but at least that was cold-worked and had compound curves to help hold shape!

I know TKS and Paul Bos can both heat treat the A2, but any ideas on the O6?

Thanks much,

Darryl