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Randy,

You'll love the Parks 50. It has made heat-treating seem rather uneventful, which is good but a little boring... :) There are no flame-ups and very little smoke. It almost seems more like...

O1 is another one with some chromium, which kind of ties this thread in with another discussion we've been having. :)

Josh

The way I understand it, lower-carbon alloys need higher temps and some soaking to get all the carbon possible into solution. For example, 5160 only has .60 percent carbon, which is on the low end...

That's a pretty good list. Has anyone tried the ever-popular 5160?

I'd add L6 to the list as well. Tim Zowada uses it in his pattern-welded blades.

I've read that 52100 is another steel, like...

Too hot is an issue, as is too cold. If the steel gets too cold while you're hammering it, it can develop cracks that'll cause heartbreak when you quench the blade later... :)

Overheating is more...

I agree with Joe's comments, too, particularly about forging. I think there's some romance in it, but the guys who know their stuff seem to agree that it doesn't make for a superior blade.

Like...

Alex,

I think I'm about halfway into the "knows what he's talking about category..." :)

Hopefully Joe C will show up to talk about stainless, because that's out of my range of experience.
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