Chris, I don't know of any stainless series that would be considered impact resistant but if molybdenum content was high enough it would be somewhat heat resistant. My experience has fabricating using mainly the 300 series. I know the 400 series stainless can be heat treated for hardening for knives but I'm not sure how well it would hold up to being repeatedly struck. You can always try; don't forget your safety glasses
S7 will take the abuse;it's a specific impact resistant steel plus it's air hardening so 3/4" round is very simple to heat treat. H13 is a heat resistant steel, it will hold it's shape in the red range but it's also hard to forge with a hand hammer
It s interesting when folks talk about the best, Earl Wilhelm swears by pritchels made from rebar, probably not a cheaper steel anywhere, i ve made and used them as prichels and punches and I can t argue the point. His belief is that when you keep going to hot steel, temper,treatment and voodoo get burned in the process. Ray
we have always used H13 (i think ) with no problems but i have just come across a good scource of 3/4 " round and was wondering what i could use it for
Ray I have talked to a couple knife makers that use in there damascus, the green rebar used in structural building. They claim it holds an edge well and has a high tensile strength. I've got a piece but haven't made anything out of it yet.
H-13 is all I ever used. Colin had us make as many as we could stand to swing at when at OHS. I remember being so tired of swinging at that H-13 many times since then..... still have some of them left that are good as new. Never thought about using anything but H-13.....
I stand corrected, again, Earl Wilhelm , and Gary Evans, make pritchels and punches out of rebar, Gary, how do they hold up for you? Ray
I agree.....on the 13 for sure....I am sure rebar will last long enough.....but I know I have beat on my 13'$ since 89....still ticking.....used a few cans of beeswax up though .....just bought 13 stock from jack the other day for a forepunch and another pritchel....I have to try my new single burner out. . Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
What use would you be giving stamps and pritchels i was talking to some App the week-end and they make 40/45 pair a day how would your rebar hold up to 45 pair a day
John, I couldn t tell you how well rebar stamps and pritchels would hold up to 40 /45 pair /day, Earl s belief as told to me is that the continued heat from nail hole to nail hole warms the steel enough that it make it malleable enough that the shape distorts no matter the steel. He keep 5 or 6 pritchels ready and only keeps it to the hot metal for a couple of hits, drops it back into a can of oil and uses another for the next couple of strikes, thereby not letting them get very warm, and always having a lubricated tip. I think he only touches them up once a day. He used to have the set up on his website in video s 40 pair per day,that s 20 head of horses, I ve never done 20 head in handmades in a day,have you? If so,how d your pritchels hold up? Hope this helps, Ray
