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Old 08-04-2019, 03:26 PM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Now live in Las Cruces NM.
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Remember you have a mystery steel Rasmus so I hope you didn't pay much for it.

That said you don't need to normalize it as it isn't forged, just anneal a piece and ht and see how it does. Hi speed saw blades like that tend to be made of either an L6 type tool steel or a shock absorbing steel like S5 and ht like you would 1080. Newer made in China saw blades are junk as far as I'm concerned.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was 1060 with some nickel. Does the file bite into it easily or is it tough to file? If it files easily most likely it's probably has a 0.5-0.6% carbon content, but don't let that scare you a tool steel like S5 are 0.5 and can get pretty hard, like Rc 63 as quenched., but S5 wouldn't file too easily because I believe it has a .3+ vanadium content and that would make it a little more abrasion resistant. It's actually a pretty nice knife steel if you can find it. I have no idea how it forges so wouldn't bother when there's better known steels I could use, but if I had a piece of 1/8 flat bar I'd give it a try. As a shock absorbing steel it, like L6 make pretty good ax heads.

But just experiment with some coupons and test them.
My mistake Rasmus S5 has 0.2% vanadium which only inhibits grain growth and imparts no hardness. It is S7 that has 0.35 vanadium, but it makes a nice knife too. Has 1.4% molybdenum in it. Heat it to 1750 and air quench gives RC60 and oil give 62. Guessing 1800 degrees in a forge isn't hard, it's doggone bright yellow. lol

Last edited by jimmontg; 08-04-2019 at 03:52 PM. Reason: mistaken identity
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