Damascus HT

J

James Hall

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Sep 18, 2013
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Hey all, I'm going to be making a blade out of some 1095/4340 damascus. Should I just follow HT schedule for 1095, or will the 4340 have much affect on the process?

Thanks,
J.P.
 
Always HT for the steel that will cut. The best mixes are ones with HT specs close to each other.
 
It's possible that the 4340 will rob some of the carbon from the 1095 but I wouldn't change anything because of it. About the only difference in H/T'ing 1095 and other 10xx steels is the quenching medium. If you have a fast quench oil like Park's then I would use it.

Gary
 
I don't have any fast oils, but Cashen's site says 1095 can be quenched with brine "with care", so I'll give that a shot.
 
Kevin is right but be careful. Don't be surprised if you lose the blade though. It's a risky quench.

Gary
 
I would advise trying some regular blades in 1095 for brine quenching and then see if you still want to risk your damascus blade. I am all for brine, it doesnt smell when tempering and it gets it blazing hard as it will also do with any of the 10xx steels. However it is a learning curve and even after you think you have a handle on it "pinq" and you get to start over. Heck I had one W1 blade that didnt make a sound, I just didnt get it into the oven right away and it broke clean in half laying on my anvil. Primarily my fault but still goes to show how touchy this stuff is. If you have to warm canola oil can do the trick even with 1095, if your use to working with it. Its relatively fast.

With the brine if you must, make sure its nice and warm I would say about 110 or 120f, hot as it will come out of the hot tap if you can. A touch of soap and bunch of salt and give it a try.
 
I do have canola oil, so that seems like the safest bet since I've used it as a quenchant before. I was under the impression that it wouldn't be fast enough to dodge the pearlite nose.
 
I guess it would warrant further research. Ive got parks 50 and water for most of my steels but use canola for the 52100 since it seems to work better. Its been a while since I quenched 1095 in canola. It would definitely have to be pretty warm to work properly. Try it out on some 1095 if you have any available.
 
With the 1095 bound between 4340 in many thin layers, I doubt brine would break the blade. That said, a fast oil would be better. Canola should work OK.

To mix up 8% brine quenchant, dissolve two pounds of salt in three gallons of water and warm it to about 100-120F.
 
I guess I'll have to test on scraps after I finish profiling the blade. Any reason why 8%? Would a higher salt content be better, or does it matter that much?
 
8% is the optimum salt percentage in brine quenchant. Anywhere between 7% and 10% will work. Higher or lower will be a less effective quenchant.
 
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