Category: Forging

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Forging by the Steel Company vs Bladesmith

When the steel company makes the steel they produce a large melt of the steel with the desired composition and pour it into a mold which solidifies and produces an ingot. A typical ingot size for tool steel or high speed steel might be 10″ thick either round or square depending on the production process and the desired final shape. Smaller ingots are better for limiting the segregation of alloying elements and keeping the cast structure fine. At that point the steel is in “cast” form. The ingot is then heated up to high temperature and forged either with a hammer or press to a form ready for hot rolling. In some cases the ingot is ready for rolling as-produced. Next the steel is hot rolled to the final desired thickness. Hot rolling in an industrial setting is typically done with relatively few reheats, typically single digits. That depends on how much reduction in necessary, how difficult the steel is to work, and the capability of the rolling mill. read more

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Forging Steel

Typically forging bladesmiths have restricted their steel selection to low alloy steels like 1095, 1084, 5160, 52100, O1, etc. There are a variety of reasons given for why the bladesmiths usually use these relatively simple steels. Often “ease in heat treatment” is a common one. However, this article will focus on which steels are physically more difficult to deform with the hammer and which crack most readily. What controls “forgeability” or steel? read more