lx450landcruiser

Well I thought i would update. I searched every where and wasnt able to get 420. So i went ahead and did stainless 304 and 1095. the contrast is pretty good and and im happy with the way it looks. Im still messing with the etching though. I was also getting tired hammering so i made a small press with a air powered 20 ton jack. I have a couple dies made for it now and its nice to have that extra control. I was attempting to make a large billet to save time but ive come to the realization that my press is not powerful enough and my forge isnt hot enough. I made a door for the forge and that helped but i deff found my limitations. The large billet turned out but i wasnt able to get it thin enough to use as a knife billet so in to the project box it went. Heres some pics. any tips are welcome :)

well Im still undecided on what to try, After i keep seeing the pics of the 420mv and the 304 i really want to try it. I cant for the life of me find the MV but i can find the 420. fromwhat i understand the MV is primarily for hardness. So will the 304 and 420 give me the contrast i want? this is a photo of what im looking for heres the make up of both metals

Any recommendations on where I can find D2 tool steel in sheet form? I will def look into saw mills, fab shops ect but would be nice to just order it some place and be ready to go. Thanks again for all the suggestions Mike

Thanks for all the tips. I have located a source for the 15N20 however if i understand this right if i tried to mix stainless 304 and 15N20 the contrast wont be as great as if i mixed 1084/15N20? Im assuming the nickel in the 15N20 would make the color shiny and bright and the stainless would do the same after etching? Is there any issues with the 1084/15N20 combo not being corrosive resistent? thanks mike

thanks Il have to look into that at the steel yard. heres a pic of the pattern welded blade after being cleaned. the pattern is visable but just not enough contrast. Also i tried cable damascus for the first time and this is the result. again no enough contrast for me. any suggestions?

As i said in my first post "At the moment im most concerned about aesthetics as these will only be looked at (a model if you will)" Id love to use the 420v and 304 but the shear cost of the 420v makes me want to look at other options. What exactly is high carbon steel? Where would i find it?

heres a couple pics

thanks for the link. I gave it a go yesterday before i had to leave for a BBQ, i used just cold rolled steel and stainless 304. It worked pretty well quite the pattern for the first time id say. It didnt seem to want to etch too well though. I tried using pcb etcher. Are people diluting this etching solvent or just strait solution? I left it in for about 15 min and the contrast was great, however after a quick rinse with water the black rubbed off. any suggestions?

thanks for the replys. I understand the process is a difficult one but im confident with time ill be able to achieve what i want. Im not new to metal working completely, just forging. Ive been welding for many many years and have toyed with metal for some time. I dont mean to come into this fourm and ask alot of simple minded questions (i know how irritating that can be) Just looking for some quick guidence to get started. thanks mike

Hello all and first off what a great fourm this is. Im new to forging and id liek to try some damascus/pattern welding. What im looking for is high contrast etching. For now I will start with the basic line patterns. These will be for a kitchen knife set (including the knife block) At the moment im most concerned about astetics as these will only be looked at (a model if you will) My question is what types of metal will give me this high contrast? Ive seen stainless 340, stainless 420 with added Molibdenum Vanadium. and it was basically exactly what i want. Im having a hard time finding the stainless 420 locally and im not sure how you add Molibdenum Vanadium. SO my question is is there other types of metals that will give me this same type of contrast? thanks so much mike