metalworker77 Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Somebody just gave me a huge plate T1 HSS. Is T1 steel a good product for making knife blades? How does it compare to something like Damascus steel or Japanese sword technology? Does it come pre-tempered? T1 Steel 0.75% Carbon 18% Tungston 1.1% Vanadium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Looks like it will be a pain to hot work and require *EXPERT* heat treat. (as in computer controlled ramping furnaces) May be a bit brittle. Does it come pre-heat treated?---yes, no and maybe and if it is preheat treated it is probably *not* heat treated appropriately for a knife but either annealed or hardened for what it's *usually* used for. "Damascus Steel" can be anything from pattern welded wrought iron and nickle that won't harden to a wootz with 1.5% carbon. Specify the *EXACT* damascus you are referring to and I'll speculate on a comparison. Japanese sword steel is generally a very low alloy, shallow hardening, plain steel---1050 is often used as a "modern" equivalent. However they also tended to construct swords from a number of different steels forge welded into a single blade. Comparing it should take about 200 pages of small typing---sorry not willing to do so at this time. However: that alloy should be dang near impossible to get a hamon on and water quenching to produce sori will probably result in the total destruction of the blade. My basic take on this is that if you have to ask these sorts of questions; this is *NOT* a steel to "learn on" Mark it carefully and put it aside till you know the answers. Practice on something easier to work with like 5160. It is a great gift; just not suited for where you are at right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 In the copper mines in Arizona as well as other places they line the beds of the haul trucks with T-1. It is very tough and wear resistant. They used to refer to it as T-1 Armour Plate. We used to get scrap pieces from the mines and use them to make silhouette targets for the rifle range. A high powered rifle with hunting ammunition would not dent them at 100 yards. Woody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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