[TheForge] Stainless steel

[Grant Marcoux]

Frosty/Interested parties:  The 440s are very corrosion resistant, at 14%
chromium.  They tend to crack readily in forging if you are not careful.  I
have successfully forged 440C, but have long ago replaced it with ATS-34.  I
will likely substitute Crucible S30V for ATS-34 in the future.

You can use 440A in the as quenched condition, but note that all of the 440s
are designated air-hardening and are martensitic. If you harden the 440C,
test with a file; and if it defeats the file, it is too hard for a struck
tool. This type of tooling is not what 440C was formulated for.

  The 300s are austenitic and might be less crack-prone if used in tools.
This might be a better solution in leather stamps/tooling.

								Grant

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Jerry Frost
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2006 9:26 PM
To: munlaw2 at hcsmail.com; Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Stainless steel


I like 440 SS as well but would go with 440-a for
impact tools, it's lower carbon and won't become as
brittle. 440-c is a common consumer knife steel Gerber
uses it almost exclusively. Last time I looked Buck
used 440-b. 440 stainlesses are very stain, corrosion
and (again I believe) caustic resistant and does not
require tempering, use as quenched through 440-c. don't
quote me but I think all the 440s are as quenched.

On the other hand I don't know what shapes are
available or how common 440-a is. Last time I looked
Principle and Crucible carried it in strip, bar, round
and sq.

I have no idea how it forges.

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

http://www.artmetalradio.com/

From: "Ron Childers" <munlaw2 at hcsmail.com>


Phillip,

You might try automotive valves; non sodium-filled, of
course. Otherwise buy
some 440-c stainless, etc. Jim Hirzoulous (sp) has a
section on forging,
heat treating and procurement of knife making
materials. Also, look in a
copy of Blade Magazine for a list of suppliers or
Google knife making
supplies for 4,440,000 hits.

Ron Childers


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