Stainless Clad San Mai processing

Sando

Sando

Knife Maker
Joined
Jul 4, 2002
Messages
1,148
I'm getting my first san mai bar (410ss/26c3). So, I surfed this forum for information and discovered something odd - to me.

Many folks here were using the same bar for forging. Which raised two questions:

1. It comes in ~1/8" bar stock, so why forge it? (Perhaps to make a cool, wavy lamination line?)
2. If you get it hot enough to forge the carbon steel, then the stainless is getting hammered below it's forging temp. But if you heat it hot enough to forge the stainless, then you're overheating the carbon. Right?

The makers talking about this were top-notch guys, so there's gotta be a good reason for forging.
 
They do forge laminated steels to increase the activity in the lamination line, or to thin the stock out more to make it wider. Some kitchen knives are 3/32" or less at the spine and over 2" wide, so forging will increase the width and decrease the thickness if they cannot find a bar the size needed.
 
Since the SS is 410SS is the forging temp really that critical as 410SS isn't going to harden much anyway?
Yep, the forging is to get the wavy line - San Mai with the straight line isn't as eye catching as the wavy line. Take a look at these two blades. The straight copper used the press with no "forging". The top blade the copper dips came "almost" to the edge but still leaves steel for cutting edge.
IMG-4188.jpg
 
we forge even 1/8" bar because there is more freedom in getting the most out of that bar.
you can forge in a point and then stretch that out,
so depending on the length and width of the bar you can get a longer knife with less waste

you can forge in a distal taper,
you can forge in the tang (hidden tang) = less waste of the bar
also for example on a kitchen knife with a tall heel you can stretch the bar out by forging the heel area taller.

26c3 laminated

another one
 
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Love the look of those H HSC /// !

OK I'm glad I asked. I hadnt' considered forging with this thin but those are good reasons.
K Ken H> I see what you mean, the straight line is kinda .... bland might be the polite response.
 
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