January 4, 201016 yr Hello, I am making my second knife, the first was a drop point hunter in 1084. The second, third, and fourth will be either of O1 or 1095. What do you recommend? Initially I was planning on using 1095, but I think I may go with O1. I have read that 1095 hardening must be done precisely. Bring up to 1500 and quench IMMEDIATELY in warm oil or water (brine), then temper. It seems that O1 is hardened in the same manner, with time from fire to quench not so critical, but what are your opinions? Any info will be really appreciated. I apologize for this rookie/beginner post. I have yet to harden my first knife (the 1084)...I am really taking my time and reading all that I can from great folks such as yourselves before diving in to this.
January 4, 201016 yr O1 needs 10-15 minutes soak timeat critical temperature to realize full hardness.
January 4, 201016 yr O1 needs 10-15 minutes soak timeat critical temperature to realize full hardness. Also O1 is an oil quenching steel it is NEVER quenched in brine or water.
January 4, 201016 yr Author Why give up on the 1084 so fast? I am definitely not giving up on it...it was great to work with. I just want to try out different steels early in my knife making "hobby". I want to do everything myself, including all steps in the heat treat. Eventually, I would like to build a forge and hammer away.
January 5, 201016 yr Since you are early in your journey the best thing to do is pick a steel and stay with it until you can achive it's full potential.1084 is a good steel and I use it alot and it is really pretty forgiving when heattreating.1095 and O-1 are much harder to H/T correctly,they have to be held at temp and quenched very quickly. Stan
January 5, 201016 yr Author Thanks for the chart Ronnie, and everyone for your much appreciated input.
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