View Single Post
  #4  
Old 08-05-2019, 02:54 AM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
Guru
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Now live in Las Cruces NM.
Posts: 1,345
Hmmm I wonder if you might have an L6 type alloy with nickel in it to make it less liable to break since its definitely a very old sawmill blade. Try to heat a coupon to around 1700/950c degrees bright reddish orange and air cool it with an air blast from canned air if you don't have an air compressor. If it gets hard you'll have some nice bush crafting knives that are tough. Temper at 400 for two hours should put you around Rc 57, if you oil quench its even harder. Don't forget the break test. I bet if you cut a small strip off it would bend 90 degrees plus before it breaks. They didn't like those big expensive blades breaking when a log might twist.

I have the ability to see what material is by laser/spectrometer analysis. It isn't very expensive, see if you can find a heat treater in Germany who can do it. Heck I'd be interested, some of those old blades were just 1075 with 1.5 to 2% nickel added. L6 has other alloying metals than just plain 1075/nickel which would not air quench.
Reply With Quote