File material question.

[Coyote_killer2013]

Alright I've got a really old file, I thought I could make out the name "Simonos" or maybe "Simons" . It could have been another name since it was very rusty but I thought thats what I could make out. The question is does anyone know what type of steel this is? Since I need to know it for heat treating.:biggrin: Any help is appreciated.

 

[Denny Eller]

I believe it says "Simonds" but I can't tell you anything about the steel.

 

[Doug Lester]

That's why it's called mystery metal. The manufacturer may not even be able to tell you what the steel is. Heat a section of it to non-magnetic, quench in water, and strike it with a hammer to see if it shatters. If it does, then it has enough carbon to make a knife from and you'll then have to experiment with it a little to get a proper temper on it.

Doug Lester

 

[Coyote_killer2013]

Alright Thanks.

 

[James Terrio]

It's most likely "Simonds" and most likely good steel. Could be 1095, could be W1 or W2... like Doug says, the manu may have used different steels for different runs so it's impossible to tell for sure.

I've made a couple knives from Simonds files just by tempering them back so they're not so brittle and grinding them slowwwwwly. They turned out very well but I couldn't put the same trust/quarantee in them that I would if I knew exactly what alloy they were and how they were HT'ed.