Matt Scanlan

Thanks Chris C, I just ordered a can.

Well I just tried using the whiteout and the sulfuric acid started reacting with it immediately so thats a no-go. Guess I'll have to wait and get some asphaltum varnish in.

ThomasPowers. I'll be honest ive never even heard of it. Is it something you can get at a hardware store like lowes or ace? No I havent tried that but I do have some one hand. I'll give it a shot!

I'm attempting to etch a pattern on the 440c. Normally with ferric chloride I use krylon spray paint and OPI nail polish as a resistant. But neither ferric chloride nor muratic acid would etch the steel. So I tried 10:1 diluted sulfuric acid and it worked like charm. The first time I tried it got underneath the spray paint. The second time I tried using adhesive lamination film but I got the same results. I'm cleaning the blade with alcohol and then washing it with simple green before I put anything on it and the second attempt I re-sanded the surface down to 1000 grit. Anyone got any advice on what to use as a resistant?

JHCC, thanks. Guess my 4 hours was overkill.

I don't do this for money (not yet atleast) but I can definitely see that being a problem. Knowing what makes a good blade versus a cheap blade must be hard to convey to some people.

Buzzkill thank you for that information. That makes more sense now. It was just puzzling to me that the steel required an oxygen free environment for heat treat but could be exposed to oxygen and repeated heating cycles in forging. I guess I'm more used to carbon steels. Stainless steels are still outside my comfort zone but after this experience I would like to learn more about them. I agree I cut corners and would love to see the difference between my results and those of the prescribed method. If I had an oven at my disposal I would have strictly stuck to the manufacturers instructions, but as for now an oven is still on my dream list. I can say the blade after the cryo quench is far harder than my experience with 1080. Perhaps in the future I could aquire a set of Rockwell testing files if I intend to use this steel again, but so far it hasn't been as much of a headache as I was expecting it to be.

ThomasPowers- the friend I'm making this for was going to pay upwards of $200 dollars for a knife of similar style, though it only had a 30 degree bevel at its edge. I decided to grind a steeper bevel on this before heat treat then the cutting edge to decrease the angle the knife had to be held to cut properly. The picture is rough ground to 80 grit, im working on getting everything to a 1500/2000 grit finish. Also I'm etching the blade and found that the alloy is completely resistant to hydrochloric acid and ferric chloride but reacts great with sulfuric acid. I have to fix a small portion where the acid got underneath the nail polish though.

It is going to be a bushcraft knife for a friend

Hey all, I know ferric chloride can get expensive and I'm all for saving some money so if this hasn't already been posted I figured it would be useful for someone. I don't own the video but I've used the recipe in the video below and it works very well. As always safety first! Duplicate video removed

Looks really nice! What did you use to get that thin of lines for the checkering?

I havent made too many blades over a foot long but one thing I found that helps keep it straight during the heat treat is just after I quench it I lay it on my cement floor and place something flat and heavy on it. I use a piece if 3/4 in mild steel. The cement pulls the rest of the heat from the blade and the weight helps keep it straight as long as both sides are ground fairly evenly

The magnet test is also a good way to prevent overheating most oil quench steels when it comes time to heat treat. Once the steel begins to glow a dull red start checking it with a magnet. If the magnet doesn't stick its good to go. Not high tech in any but it has rarely let me down so far with 1080 Ive only been doing this for 8 years but I remember thinking I had to get the steel up to a bright yellow then quench it, ruined alot of decent blades that way.

Those chisel bevels on japanese style blades I think are always sharper than a double bevel. Looks pretty nice. Did you put any handle material on it or just leave it bare metal?

Not quite finished yet but I wanted to share my adventure thus far. I dont normally do stock removal but I got some metal as a christmas gift from my wife. (Shes awesome) So this is an experiment more than anything. Up till this point the most experience I have with a chromium alloy is 5160 but thats a whole nother ball field. First off the metal when annealed is difficult to drill through, not sure if it was just me or if anyone else has had that issue but it seemed to gum up the flutes on my bit. On the contrary it is a dream to grind, my little 1x30 grinder with a 40 grit belt chewed thru the metal like it was mad at it. Next is what some may see as controversial but in my research I found how the steel is supposed to be wrapped in stainless steel foil and HT in an oven to limit oxygen exposure. I dont have an oven and I wasnt paying 100 dollars for foil to do a single knife so I decided to limit oxygen exposure by getting a carburizing atmosphere in my propane forge. My logic was if it can be forged then perhaps leaving out the 'proper steps' shouldnt hurt it too much. If anyone can explain the science behind having to limit oxygen exposure during HT but it can be carefully forged I would appreciate it. I eyeballed the temp and let it soak for 30 minutes then plate quenched it with aluminum and used my compressor to force some air over it. Came out straight and passed the file test. Next I tempered it at 410 degrees for an hour and then let it sit in a cooler full of dry ice for 4 hours (no real logic here but I read with dry ice the longer the better) After the cryo quench I file tested it again. I have to admit I was shocked at the noticeable difference in hardness from the HT. I then tempered it a second time and here is the result so far. Ill post a picture of the final product. Any and all constructive criticism is definitely accepted.

I agree it may be overkill, though I have made awls from 1085 and 02. They work just fine though I have had some people complain the tips have broken off, they come to a very fine point. I figure a shock resistant steel may alleviate this issue. I will post a picture of one this evening. Cavpilot2k, thank you for the info, also nice chisel.

Hi all, I'm planning on using some S7 soon to make some awls for leather working. The steel will be 0.500 in at the widest point, my understanding with this thickness of S7 it needs to be air quenched. I've worked with A2 and A6 using a fan to "force" room air into a stainless steel box for quenching with good results. My questions are; Has anyone used this alloy before? If so anything I should expect? And would my setup for air quenching work with S7? I've searched the forum and go no results. Thanks in advance!

Aboslutley beautiful, the Scottish bogwood is a great touch.

Thanks for the info, like I said I am going to attempt some pattern welding, I am in the process of setting up a propane forge, in my coal forge I have never gotten a successful weld so hopefully the propane will prove more beneficial once I get a neutral or reducing flame dialed in. And yes I do mean as a stand alone, I have never worked with 15N20, but since it is more acid resistant than the 1095 I figured it would be somewhat more corrosion resistant.

Hi all, this is my first post here. I've been working with steel as a blacksmith and welder for about five years and have made a few knives from 1085 and 1095. I have some 15n20 that I am going to use to make my first attempt at pattern welding and wanted to know if anyone has ever used 15n20 as a blade. My thought was to make a shaving razor, and it would probably hold up better than a carbon steel under the conditions. Has anyone used 15n20 as a blade steel and if so what was your experience with it?