Smudger
Established Member
You make great sense. After a chat today I had decided to start a parts box - actually I've already got one, but I'm in denial! Refurbing planes is also a hobby, my wife tells me!
Record plane iron
- Thread starter jaspr
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Just a quick note about the steel types (from my notes on steel made in the early 1980s):jaspr":1ehnv4jy said:
O-1 is an oil-hardening, non-deforming tool steel which can be hardened at relatively low temperatures. It has good wearing qualities since the tungsten and higher chromium content gives improved wear resistance over the straight manganese steels. Machinability and grindability are both excellent.
W-1 is a water-hardening steel similar to O1 except for the fact that it is hardened in water. It is often supplied in dimension ground rod form for use making twist drills, etc.
A-2 is an air hardening tool steel containing five percent chromium. It is used as a replacement for O-1 by some manufacturers as it requires less skill to harden successfully without distortion and it does have better wear and edge holding characterstics, but at the cost of more difficulty when hand sharpening. It provides an intermediate grade between the oil hardening and the high carbon, high chromium (D-2) types.
D-2 is a high carbon, high chromium heat treatable tool steel intended for applications requiring high wear resistance such as dies, punches, mould components. It is more difficult to machine and grind than O1 or W1 due to the added hardness making it far less suitable for hand sharpening.
Older Sheffield blades are typically a high carbon steel tip heat welded onto a low-carbon back, however the inconsistency of the Sheffield cast crucible method of steel production means that the carbon content of blades varies tremendously as does their hardness
Scrit
jaspr
Member
Thanks for the further information, Scrit.
The blade I described in the opening post doesn't show any signs of a join between two types of metal. Not like the old tapered Henry Boker blades I have that came out of old wooden planes.
From what you say it sounds like it is O1 steel, though. This is also what bugbear thought.
It's a nice tough blade, though. It sharpens up well and holds it's edge. That's what made me think it might have been hardened more than the norm.
As for stay set cap irons, I've never seen one; but they sound interesting. I'm newly converted to the Hock cap irons - full length support for the blade and a sharp slippery chip breaker. They are great.
The blade I described in the opening post doesn't show any signs of a join between two types of metal. Not like the old tapered Henry Boker blades I have that came out of old wooden planes.
From what you say it sounds like it is O1 steel, though. This is also what bugbear thought.
It's a nice tough blade, though. It sharpens up well and holds it's edge. That's what made me think it might have been hardened more than the norm.
As for stay set cap irons, I've never seen one; but they sound interesting. I'm newly converted to the Hock cap irons - full length support for the blade and a sharp slippery chip breaker. They are great.
