Buffalo Rasp question
- Thread starter buckaroo
- Start date
Here's what I'd do to find out if it is usable steel. Heat up the tang of one of them to about 1500, or a few clicks past non-magnetic, and quench in warm oil. Now clamp the end of the tang into a vise, and wearing a protective face-shield and apron, bend it over. If it snaps like glass, excellent. If it doesn't, reheat it and quench it again just like before, but use water instead of oil. Repeat the bend test. If it snaps like glass this time, you have a very shallow-hardening steel that will need a very fast oil or brine to harden. If it bends in both tests, it is no good for knife blades and likely case-hardened. A spark test will give you some idea of how much carbon it has, but there is no way to know exactly what it is without having a piece tested... still, if you can harden it, you can make a serviceable knife out of it. Knowing the ideal temperature it needs to be quenched from (1425-1550) is pretty much impossible to find out from back-yard testing. Read up on decalescence...
The tempering temperature can be determined by forming it into a blade, hardening it, then temper it at 400 degrees for an hour. Sharpen the edge and test it out. Some folks test the edge by flexing it over a brass rod and seeing if it chips or stays bent, if it chips bump the temperature up 15-25 degrees, temper for another hour and test it again... continue bumping the temperature up until it no longer chips. If it bends when flexed, you tempered too high. Some folks chop brass wire and then examine the edge, and some whittle on dry hardwood, regardless of the method you are looking for the most durable edge that neither chips of rolls over.
Or you could just buy your steel from a known source and take all the fun and guesswork out of it...
The tempering temperature can be determined by forming it into a blade, hardening it, then temper it at 400 degrees for an hour. Sharpen the edge and test it out. Some folks test the edge by flexing it over a brass rod and seeing if it chips or stays bent, if it chips bump the temperature up 15-25 degrees, temper for another hour and test it again... continue bumping the temperature up until it no longer chips. If it bends when flexed, you tempered too high. Some folks chop brass wire and then examine the edge, and some whittle on dry hardwood, regardless of the method you are looking for the most durable edge that neither chips of rolls over.
Or you could just buy your steel from a known source and take all the fun and guesswork out of it...
GHEzell
Thank for the reply. Up until now I have been using known steel. 1095, 440 and D2. I know that there are some files that will make great knives. The information you provided is exactly what I was looking for and I will give it a try.
Thanks.
Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk
Thank for the reply. Up until now I have been using known steel. 1095, 440 and D2. I know that there are some files that will make great knives. The information you provided is exactly what I was looking for and I will give it a try.
Thanks.
Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk