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Old 03-09-2017, 01:13 PM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Now live in Las Cruces NM.
Posts: 1,345
5160 is a great forging steel. No problems there. Quenches at nonmagnetic and then some about 1450-1550 degrees and is very tough, but has a low temp temper if you want to keep it hard for knives. The big 1000 degree difference is because there is a lot of different info on 5160, but make sure it is heated through with no shadows in the glow, 1525 is about right, nonmagnetic is 1413 btw so you have to go past there a bit.

Experiment as you may or may not have 5160 as not all springs are made from it. Close can make the difference of 500 degrees one way or another. A little more chrome or silicon, makes a difference and as little as 0.1% vanadium will make a big difference. Mystery steels are just that. Heat to just past nonmagnetic and quench in canola oil, then see if a file bites into it. Start your tempers around 325 if the file skates across. If it bites into the steel heat higher and quench again. I don't like to HT unknown steel as for the M2 you have that is a hot working tool steel with lots of tungsten and vanadium and will stay hard on a red hot endmill, you aren't going to do much to it in a forge.
5160 anneals at 1450 and slow air cool btw. Metal cutting bandsaw blades? Hmmm...
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