?'s for anyone that owns a Axe/hawk in 4140 steel? Also opinions on general hardness.

Kentucky

Kentucky

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Dec 13, 2008
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The reason I ask is that 4140 on its best day is hardenable to about 55RC-56RC(thats according to several heat treat books )..A 400* temper leaves you pretty close to that. I personally like a axe at about the 55rc-56rc range..I also like something that I can harden to a higher hardness and then temper back to that point, I cant do that with 4140 but its a tough steel and people seem to like it in the 53rc-54rc range of hardness..
Whats your thoughts on axe bit hardness in general and 4140 in a 53rc-54rc hardness? Any opinion appreciated..Thanks
 
I made a couple Hawks in 4140 because it was availible in small quanities. Seems to be hard enough, doubt they will ever be used to failure. A Hawk forger has you-tube vids test cutting with 4140 hawk- seem ok.
I see a lot of steel snobs on-line trashing one type steel or another, doubt they could tell the difference on a properly heat treated piece. JMO
 
I was never really concerned about failure. Ive never made a hawk to be used on car doors:D .Acceptable edge retention in more my concern..I know the stuff we already use is good but the problem is that its not readily available in the size needed..People dont realize how much a 1" x 1 1/2" bar of even medium/high carbon steel costs.:eek:
 
Here's a 'general hardness' opinion. I want my bits to be fileable with a good quality sharp file provided my stroke and pressure and everything is right. I've found a few axes that cut like cheese under the file. I've found a few with small hard spots which were too hard to file and had to be worked by stone. I've found one axe that was uniformly perfect - very hard to file but doable if I did it just right. That was an old Stiletto. I should have that thing RC tested.
 
I think 4140 is a great steel for axe heads and have no problem with the idea of it around 55RC.
I especially like the fact that it can be found at spring shops occasionally as cut-offs and/or scrap.
 
Well after much phone tag, favors and begging I think I found a resonable supplier of 1060 bar stock :D I really believe it makes a overall better quaility axe than the more commonly used 4140 and 1045..Its always better when you can harden to a higher hardness and then temper back to your desired hardness..It costs a bit more but its just better steel for a woodsmans/hunters tool..Way better edge retention..
 
I've heard that 5160 will make a good ax. Wasn't 5160 used to make many of the older leaf springs? Does the 1060 forge easier?
 
5160 makes a great axe but its practically impossible to find in large bar form unless you order a truck load at a time..1060 does move a little easier than 5160 since the 5160 is an alloy steel..
 
Does anyone know of a supplier for 1060? I'm trying to find some for small ax heads. Thanks.
 
since you guys are talking about 4140,maybe you can give me some input, i have been saving up my money, rathole" is what i call it,was looking at ontarion rd series small hawks im my price range,150.00 or so,but on ebay i punched in 4140 blank tomahawk ,or 4140 tomahawk blank and their is a guy with two designs on their that need finish work,that have been water jetted out for real cheap,bare blanks,just wondering if 1/4 inch is thick enough,and if it would be worth trying to finish one of them up,customizing it.
 
RMJ uses 4140 in their hawks, and I don't recall hearing of any failures. That's not to say it isn't possible, but they've been doing it for a while and it seems to work.
 
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