Best steel for this project

[MilwaukeeJon]

 

 

TA’s wonderful videos include this one, and to date I’ve probably made at least a dozen of them, large and small. At the start he partially cuts an end section that then gets drawn out to become the handle (his hammer work is really fine). I’ve made these from 1075, 5160, 1084, 80Crv2, 1080, and 8760, and he uses O1, which I’ve not tried. Even when working carefully and keeping the steel very hot it is not uncommon to develop small stress fractures, and sometimes catastrophic ones, at the initial bend point where the handle gets drawn out.
 

What I’m curious about is what you all think might be the best carbon steel for this particular forging move? The technique really is useful for creating handles and tangs for all sorts of choppers and also woodworking tools. But the bend seems to be very high stress and drawing out the handle sends a lot of vibrations back to this stressed area (from the start you can see definite stretch marks in the steel).  Are chromium or magnesium desirable addition to the alloy or more prone to fracturing? Could it be that the bend needs to be done at near forge welding heat? I’ve not really thought about to date but I also am curious as to what steel you would think is best suited for this type of single steel project. 
 

 

[HP500]

I don't know if it is the "best" steel, but we have had very good luck making these out of chunks of leaf spring.

[Dave51B]

 I had good luck with old plow cutters and disk blades, the curve is already there.       Life is Good         Dave

[ThomasPowers]

The old High C AG stuff rather than the modern boron stuff!

[pnut]

They don't really need to be high performance do they? I'd think the best steel for me to use for one would be a simple higher carbon 10xx series like 1080 because the HT is straightforward. If you don't correct as you forge the bevels it will naturally pick up that curve. Ask how I know. 

Pnut

[MilwaukeeJon]

35 minutes ago, pnut said:

They don't really need to be high performance do they? I'd think the best steel for me to use for one would be a simple higher carbon 10xx series like 1080 because the HT is straightforward. If you don't correct as you forge the bevels it will naturally pick up that curve. Ask how I know. 

Pnut

It is an herb chopper so the rocker profile is intentional.

2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

The old High C AG stuff rather than the modern boron stuff!

Thanks much Thomas. Which AG parts in particular should I try to find?

[ThomasPowers]

May I commend to your attention "Step by Step Knifemaking" by David Boye which has a nice list of scroungable High C stuff to use for blades.

It used to be that items like plows and discs that saw a lot of soil abrasion were higher carbon alloys; but now they have come up with others, like the boron ones that work better/cheaper/safer/???.   Any way junkyard rules always apply: TEST it before using it!

[pnut]

3 hours ago, MilwaukeeJon said:

is an herb chopper so the rocker profile is intentional.

I know. I was saying how easy it is to curve a blade when you forge in the bevels. If I don't continuously correct it while I'm forging in the bevels the blade naturally curves because the displaced material from the bevels  pushes towards the spine and creates a curve. 

Pnut