Do 1050 worth enough???

[U.C.O.K]

Hello everyone...

I know... I know you guys should says I'd better chooese the higher carbon content steel
than 1050. BUT... That's all I can find here and I want to experimenting on clay coating technique.
And some known maker keep using 1050 as their "main" steel. So please... I want to know how
to heat treat this steel and get the best result from it. Thx a lot folks & GOD bless you all.

Frids Laguna

[McAhron]

Alot of people are using 1050,speicialy those making japanese styled blades.It produces a awsome hamon and has a higher success rate when quenched in water than higher alloy steels.Since you are a begginer i would stay away from water quenching for now because even the best makers have as high as a fifty percent failure rate.Just heat to non-magnetic and quench in veggie oil heated to around 130-140 degrees f.

[AwP]

I second everything McAhron said. To add a little to that, 1050 is great for larger things like swords, machetes, even large camp knives. It's a very tough steel, great for chopping, that's it's talent. Toughness and edge holding tend to be counteracting though, so for a small skinner that you want to stay sharp it probably wouldn't be the best choice. It would work fine, but it would need to be sharpened a little more often then a steel with more carbon and/or other alloys in it.

[U.C.O.K]

Thx guys... I think I'm gonna try with veggie oil first. But can I get a hamon line with this type of quenchant?

[Lord Farquhar]

I have got lots of nice hamons of a veg oil quench on .7% and 1095 as well as L6

you will be fine







these is L6 quenched in oil

below 1095



and 1070



getting a hamon is not the hard bit its getting it to shine

[Jason Cutter]

As mentioned, 1050 does produce a nice hamon with apparently better results that the higher carbon 10-xx steels. .50% carbon is jsut enough to get nice and hard for a knife blade. You could use a lower tempering range, like 340-350C to get a slightly harder working hardness for improved edge holding in the 56-57Rockwell range. The lower carbon range allows the steel to be inherently tougher than the higher carbon steels...

You should get a nice temper line with vegetable oil if you get the quench process right. Heat the oil first by heating a small scrap of mild steel in the forge, then stirring the oil with it. However, in Jakarta, I think the oil will likely be reasonably warm enough for quenching ! Jason.

[U.C.O.K]

It's true Jason! It happen to me when I unintentionally put O1 in vegetable oil which is doesn't warmed before, and it's still harden the blade. Thank's.