I'm curious if anyone has tried Uni bond 33 for hamons. I can get it from sounding stone about 5 mins away from me. they also have a bunch of pottery clays and castable refractory, wondering if those would work too. https://www.soundingstone.com/produ...gh-temperature-cement-pint?variant=9850962372
Hey, I’ve never heard of it before, but it obviously meets temperature ratings. The trick is having it adhere and set up on the blade before austenitizing. Get the smallest amount you can and try it out, all you can do! Use the mechanics wire trick to give it a frame to stick too *thumb up* Good vid from Neels.
Alright, thanks. I used the stuff when making my heat treating oven and tried using some of the left over on a knife. Most of it fell off after the third normalization cycle. Where it did stay on it didn’t seem to do anything. Was also 1084 so not the best for hamons anyway. I’ll pick up some more and give it a shot, and put it on after normalization with some wire.
Okay you dont have to waste clay on normalization. For example on the W2 blades I’m working on I will be following this cycle (and because I have it I will wrap the blades in HT tool wrap for normalization to keep them relatively clean): 1650F 15mins cool to RT 1500F 15mins cool to RT 1350F 15mins cool to RT Now fully normalized Clean them up, wire wrap and clay. Let clay set up overnight. Austenizing temp 1475F for 15mins and quench in Parks 50. I may even do a Brine quench on one blade I am willing to take the chance on for a quick 1-2-3 and then into Parks 50! Temper will be 400F for 2hrs x 3
Ya I’ll give that a try. Have you experimented much with hamon results in 1095 vs W2 I’ve only ever done 3 in 1095 with really nice results. Have W2 that I was going to try in a few weeks. Give the brine a shot. I had it work really well. I did it quite concentrated with nacl, at 90C left it in there for the full duration with no cracks 3/32 steel.
reading this thread with fascination! Never having done a hamon - I have a question: Do you guys put cordusal or some such on the "unclayed" portion?
I don’t, since with 1095 and w2 you aren’t at super high temps and long soaks where that’s really needed. It would definitely help with scale though.
I would Toby if I had it for sure! Coat the blade completely with anti scale, let that cure/dry, then clay, leave 24hrs...but test clay adhesion to the coating prior to placing in the kiln.
Well I did it. Unfortunately I had already clayed up the knife by the time I saw your post Griff so I only anti-scaled the exposed portion. Wish I had done the whole blade first. I thought the clay would act as ant-scale but I soon learned it doesn't. Had horrible scale under the clay and not a flake on the edge with the ATP. Word to the wise......
