Hi all -

I'm having fun trying to source some nickel for pattern welding. I see that Admiral offer 201 in their knife steels section; so far, the "best" price I've got this side of the pond on 201 is about USD3K for a 3 1/2' x 4' sheet of 0.060... There are cheaper alloys available, but which ones work? Many of the less expensive ones appear to be inconel - given how well it resists forge temperatures I wouldn't imagine it welded well?

And if you think that sounds bad, yesterday I was told that no-one uses L6 in thin sections. Best they could do was 6" plate, which I don't think I really want to try hammering out.

At this rate, I may have to give in gracefully and buy from Admiral anyway, taking the hit on the shipping... Not to mention the stupid little trade war the UK seems to be engaged in against the US at the moment.

Peter

Peter, I just ordered some L 6 from Admiral. After ordering, I heard from some guys that were having a bit of a problem heat treating Admirals L 6. Anyway, I'm going to give it a try, didn't order all that much. Got it in .25 x 1.5 by about 6 feet or so. I've been using 15n20, but I'm not sure about that stuff, isn't as bright as I'd like. My be the way I etch and sand.

Peter,
There should be some band saw material or old saw blades that you can use to cut down on costs. Stay away from the inconel, it is a very high percentage of chromium and nickel, similiar to the 300 series stainless steels but with a lot more stuff to gum things up. If you can check out the material specs, the nickel should be from 1.5% to 3%. I think L6 has about 1.5% and 15n20 has about 2%. The other elements should resemble a high carbon steel used for making knives. The 15N20 I use is from Sweden and is used in the saw mills for cutting large timber. It is about 40 feet long and 9" to 10" wide when I get it. It is also marked 15N20 so I know what I am getting. The band saw is about .080" thick and welds up very good with every thing I have used it with. I have also used some pure nickel sheet to make damascus with. Pure nickel will not harden and will not allow carbon migration in the steel so it is used mostly for decorative purposes in my particular case. If folded enough times and twisted so that the lines are very small, it can be used on the edge of the blade to make a serrated effect of cutting. Some of the pure nickel sheet was gotten from a friend who go it from a place where they make wall paper. It was the silk screening and had the pattern in the nickel. They would only run so much of the pattern and then discontinue it. It was destroyed (cut and rolled up to make damascus with) :)
I hope that you will be able to find some of the items, as there are a lot and you just have to do some digging and some research to end up with what you need.

Ray,
Where are you getting the 15n20 from sweden thru? the 15n20 I got from admiral after shipping was $70 for the sheet, can I get a better price somewere else?
csc

Csc,
The saw blade I have was traded (given) to me by Ron duncan of Mo. He had gotten it from a sawyer (works on saw mills) as scrap from the wore out band saw blades. Some of them showed signs of cracking and welding on them. They were scrap and I don't know for sure if they were for sure from Sweden. I have seen that when marked, the 15N20 had a "Made in Sweden" by the 15N20. If you know where there is a big sawmil, there is a good possibility that you may be able to even check the scrap yards for it or ask about where they take it. A lot of times, it will sit around and rust up and then they haul it off. Some of it that I got was clean and some was rusty. I grind all the surfaces anyway so the rusty parts take just a little longer, not much. The 15N20 also makes a fantastic fillet knife or paring knife for the kitchen. I temper them back at 425 and they hold a very good edge. My wife loves me for that. :)
I have seen the short sections of band saw at hammer ins and tail gate sales of knife and blacksmiths functions. I am always on the look out for materials that are of a known composition, mystery steel will cause a lot of head aches.

Just a note on my Admiral order: I places the order for L 6 and some other steel about 9 or 10 days ago, and it hasn't arrived yet. On a side note, I ordered some O1 from Tool and Die on Monday of this week, and it came in Yesterday (Thursday)! Keep this in mind guys, I sure will.

I have quite a bit of 15n20 bandsaw steel and have sold quite a bit and evryone seems to be pleased with it. I get $2.00 per pound. it is 1/16 thick x 7 1/4 wide and in four foot lengths but I can shear to what you need. Let me know. I like to trade also. I am looking for some nickel sheet and 1095 or 1084 bar stock. And maybe even some powdered metal.