want to try a new steel.

rocketmann

rocketmann

Joined
Dec 24, 2005
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Guy's the fastenal store near me sells O1, A6, S7, A2 and D2 PG flat stock and 1/2" O1,A2,&W1 drill rod..I've been using O1 for stock removal and 1084 for forging..Do any of you recommend one of the other steels in this list?? I am looking for better rust resitance and edge holding ability. I do my own heat treat on O1 & 1084 in the forge.. Is it possible to HT D2 or any of the other steels in the forge if I use SS foil in the forge?? Thanks for any help...louis
 
rocketmann said:
Guy's the fastenal store near me sells O1, A6, S7, A2 and D2 PG flat stock and 1/2" O1,A2,&W1 drill rod..I've been using O1 for stock removal and 1084 for forging..Do any of you recommend one of the other steels in this list?? I am looking for better rust resitance and edge holding ability. I do my own heat treat on O1 & 1084 in the forge.. Is it possible to HT D2 or any of the other steels in the forge if I use SS foil in the forge?? Thanks for any help...louis
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Once you get to air hardneing stuff like A2, A6, D2, S7, stainless, etc. it's much better to get a heat treating furnace, they just have ranges that are much too narrow to use a forge, or you can send them off for professional heat treating.
 
Rocketman

While I agree with Larrin that the air hardening steels are not recommended for heat treating in a forge because the likely hood of getting the correct temperature for maximum performance, I disagree that it shouldn't be tried. I know for a fact that D2 can be heat treated in a forge with quite good results. Yes you will probably burn out some of the carbon, so leave it a little thicker. Put a piece of pipe in your forge and use it as an chamber to heat the knife in. If you over heat the steel the grain size will grow rapidly and you will have a brittle blade. So start off on the low side and work your way up. No the forge is far from the best way to heat treat air quench steels, but it is an viable option and can be used if you watch what you are doing and and proceed carefully. Don't expect remarkable results but D2 is a great steel and even if you don't peg the temp you can still have a heck of a good blade. It may take a few trys, so do some experimenting before trying a blade. One final note, if you are planning on selling the knife, send it off to a professional heat treater.

Jim Arbuckle
 
DAMNENG said:
Rocketman

While I agree with Larrin that the air hardening steels are not recommended for heat treating in a forge because the likely hood of getting the correct temperature for maximum performance, I disagree that it shouldn't be tried. I know for a fact that D2 can be heat treated in a forge with quite good results. Yes you will probably burn out some of the carbon, so leave it a little thicker. Put a piece of pipe in your forge and use it as an chamber to heat the knife in. If you over heat the steel the grain size will grow rapidly and you will have a brittle blade. So start off on the low side and work your way up. No the forge is far from the best way to heat treat air quench steels, but it is an viable option and can be used if you watch what you are doing and and proceed carefully. Don't expect remarkable results but D2 is a great steel and even if you don't peg the temp you can still have a heck of a good blade. It may take a few trys, so do some experimenting before trying a blade. One final note, if you are planning on selling the knife, send it off to a professional heat treater.

Jim Arbuckle
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I just don't think you can get consistent results or maximum performance with D2 if it's heat treated with a forge.
 
I do have a pyrometer in my forge and I can control the heat pretty well by adjusting my regulator. I wonder if this would be worth trying?
 
Get a proper electric furnace - otherwise you'll never get optimum properties.
 
I've made a fair number of knives from 440C. The one that holds it's edge best is the one I heat treated with my torch. Probably just a fluke. :D
 
Hey Louis...how are the prices at your Fastenal? I have one close to me and the prices didn't seem too bad considering you can just go there and pick it up.
 
Louis, Where exactly is this Fastenal store? I'm not far from you and I'd like to check it out next time I'm up that way.
 
Thank you. The East Hartford store is probably even closer to me. It would be nice to actually pickup my steel without waiting or paying for shipping, so I'll have to check them out. Looking at their website, they have lots of cool stuff for me to spend my money on. :)
 
Larrin said:
I just don't think you can get consistent results or maximum performance with D2 if it's heat treated with a forge.
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Larrin

This is what I was getting at when I wrote

"No the forge is far from the best way to heat treat air quench steels, but it is an viable option and can be used if you watch what you are doing and and proceed carefully."

I seem to be getting harder to understand the older I get. Any way Happy forging!

Jim A.
 
Wow, there's a fastenal store 5 blocks from my house apperantly in Woonsocket RI and i never knew it... going to have to find it >_<
 
rocketmann said:
Guy's the fastenal store near me sells O1, A6, S7, A2 and D2 PG flat stock and 1/2" O1,A2,&W1 drill rod..
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I have a fastenal store real near where I live, how did you find out about what types of steel they sell?
Just ask?
Do they sell stuff and list it someplace as "01", or "W1"?
 
Alan,I just found the same thing at my local fastenal mine only stocks 0-1 drill rod in 3/4" but they can order the others within a day!The steel in the rack was just labeled "oil hardening" but they had 0-1 listed under the part number.
 
check them out on line, they can get or have on hand O1, D2, S7, A6 in precision ground flat stock and O1, W1 & A2 in Drill rod...
 
Sweet, i just picked up a good hunk of O1 (3'x3/4" round stock) for 15 bucks, that's enough to forge out a significant amnount of knives, and a good size for an integral too. Thanks for the fastenal tip, they're litteraly 5 minutes from my house
 
OK. just a bit of advice after spending all night trying to reduce down this 3/4" round O1 by hand.... buy the 1/2" not the 3/4" if you dont have a power hammer or press... I'm whaling on this bar with a sledge and the hammer is just bouncing off, hardly moves the steel at all in that size!

1/2" should still be able to get a good sized bowie out of it, and is probably less than a quarter the work to bring down in size.
 
Justin.Mercier said:
O.. buy the 1/2" not the 3/4" .
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Yes, a 1/2 inch sounds good for me to use.
But of the steels you guys have listed that sell there, are there any that I can heat-treat myself?

I just have a gas forge-a O/A torch - oil quench tank-water quench tank, and a kitchen oven
 
Alan you can heat treat O1 easily at home!! I heat it to critical then quench in 130 degree oil and temper 375/1hr X 2.. Works well for me..as usual milage may vary:D :D
 
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