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Pattern on D2 steel.


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I’m hand sanding the first knife I have made from D2 and at 320 grit I’m starting to see an odd pattern in the steel. It almost looks like what you see on galvanized steel, but smaller crystal boundaries and less regular. 

I don’t know what it is.

I’m planning on going to a mirror finish, but if this is what D2 just looks like, it may be a wasted effort to keep hand sanding. I just don’t have any hands on experience with this steel to know... just what I could research.

any ideas?

 

Because it might matter, it might not, my heat treat (evenheat oven) was this:

A 15 minute soak in a SS foil wrap at 1850 F. Then took out and aluminum plate quenched the blade portion until about 120 F.

Then as slowly and controlled as I could I dropped the temp with N2 . I floated blade on styrofoam raft and slowly added nitrogen to bottom of the container until it stayed liquid, then raised the level until it just almost touched the spine, slowly added until submerged, goal was about -10F/minute. I was fairly close. 

 Then soaked in the N2 dewar for 50 hours. Tempered to 500F, 2 x 1hr cycles. 

 

Pictures don’t show it terribly well, but you can kinda see it. 0E26FA29-7162-4F54-9C7D-FBD5B398AF7E.thumb.jpeg.456ac2ee0393c619d9ce80d85f4eed04.jpeg4E8BE105-730A-4BAC-AA51-45082ADF2316.thumb.jpeg.1f2992acb11081e4338e0147bb92a513.jpeg

 

Might try a video moving it with light reflections, in the reflecting of light it seems to show up the most. 

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You could be seing the actual crystal matrix of the steel itself. However this might point to a grain growth issue ? 

I wouldent think you should be able to see crystal boundaries with the naked eye at 320 grit. But i have never cryo tempered a blade eaither 

keep us posted 

i would love to se how it turnes out

du

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It sounds/looks very much like a question that has come up before.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/48041-orange-peel/

The confusing thing is Jay Fisher claims the orange peel effect goes away with cryo treatment, but in both your case and the post I linked to the blades were cryo tempered.  Regardless, it appears as though D2 is known for this effect, at least according to Jay.

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That is my thought, I'm seeing the grain. Its kinda neat looking... I'm just wondering If I can get to a clean a mirror finish.

Buzzkill, I had read that thread once before, I guess 'orange peel look' is about appropriate for a description, though there are also a few longer bands that kind of appear. I'm sure I can keep going up the grits, and may have some of that "texture" look in it, and that would be OK. Jay Fisher's website info really does give a lot of information, but a some of it is 1/2 information and conjecture. I have NO DOUBT that he knows his stuff, and it obviously works well for him, but there are a few statements here and there that give me pause, mainly because of my own EXTENSIVE chemistry and physics background. But like anything you learn, always be a skeptic. Trust but verify.

His website is what made me decide to get into cryo treating in the first place... plus its REALLY fun to make instant ice cream by pouring LN2 to a recipe while furiously having someone string the ingredients. All PPE in place of course :)

 

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxo1WQbTYBY

 

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Still have some scratches to get out... if I feel like it, sounds like a lot of work...

 

Grain pattern disappeared at about 1000 grit. Was an ABSOLUTE pain to sharpen. I’ve never worked with D2 before. The most trouble id had sharpening a blade before this was 52100, and it wasnt that bad.

I abandoned the stones, because I didnt have 2 hours, and pulled out a ken onion work-sharp and destroyed an entire set of belts just to get a good edge on it. Should last though. 

E510A804-F140-4711-B4FE-39CA65BF5050.thumb.jpeg.3d97643f10b5b43da04c45aff0631941.jpeg7AA0A62B-FCE7-4DE0-96DB-58D2F280E8A2.thumb.jpeg.ce6fc7ddf38b07a7c70b48536d29a511.jpeg

One tiny slip wiping off fingerprints with a shop towel and a nice little dermapeal on my ring finger... 

226375C8-7526-4D9F-A48B-48FB090461B2.thumb.jpeg.f33f51961b36acc5f557772b6fb109f9.jpeg

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