Our kind of Garden Gnomes.

[HTRN]

Why go exotic? O1 can hit Rc65, and can be heat treated with a torch and used motor oil, and annealed with a toaster oven.

[Greg]

Why go exotic? O1 can hit Rc65, and can be heat treated with a torch and used motor oil, and annealed with a toaster oven.

If you're going to do that, go with 5160.

[esa5444]

Why go exotic? O1 can hit Rc65, and can be heat treated with a torch and used motor oil, and annealed with a toaster oven.

If you're going to do that, go with 5160.

I say if we limit ourselves to materials used for cutting tools, let's go with cemented carbide.

A man's alloy selection depends largely on his experience. HTRN, for example, chooses tool steels because he is, by trade, a machinist and experienced with tool steels. Me, I am a mechanical engineer for oilfield equipment, so I prefer low-alloy steels. An aerospace engineer may prefer 7075 Al or 6Al-4V Titanium.

But that's what makes America great. When the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, did we give up and say "we can't decide on one alloy to make all our stuff out of"? NO! We all came together. The planes were made of Aluminum. The engines were made of cast iron. The gears were made of light-alloy steel. Hell, we even found a place where bakelite and rubber could be useful! And in the end, those metric-using, bratwurst chomping barbarians surrendered to none other than George S. Patton on the decks of the USS Missouri! And with the strength that can only come with the unity of diversity, we shall fight the hippies in the parks. We shall fight them in the streets. We shall fight them at hippy music jam fests, we shall fight them with growing strength and confidence over the airwaves and we shall never surrender until every man-jack of them has a job, showers at least bi-weekly, and gives up these foolish socialist notions of the old world and takes up the freedom and self-reliance of the new.

[MarkD]

But that's what makes America great. When the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, did we give up and say "we can't decide on one alloy to make all our stuff out of"? NO! We all came together. The planes were made of Aluminum. The engines were made of cast iron. The gears were made of light-alloy steel. Hell, we even found a place where bakelite and rubber could be useful! And in the end, those metric-using, bratwurst chomping barbarians surrendered to none other than George S. Patton on the decks of the USS Missouri! And with the strength that can only come with the unity of diversity, we shall fight the hippies in the parks. We shall fight them in the streets. We shall fight them at hippy music jam fests, we shall fight them with growing strength and confidence over the airwaves and we shall never surrender until every man-jack of them has a job, showers at least bi-weekly, and gives up these foolish socialist notions of the old world and takes up the freedom and self-reliance of the new.

(sniff) That's just poetry. I want you to speak at my funeral.

[SoupOrMan]

The Germans?

[randy]

The Germans?

Forget it, he's rolling.

[HTRN]

A man's alloy selection depends largely on his experience. HTRN, for example, chooses tool steels because he is, by trade, a machinist and experienced with tool steels.

Actually, most of my experience is with carbide for cutters, and milling non ferrous.

I suggested O1 because it's easy to harden with common tools(Vs say, requiring an inert atmo furnace), and is one of the most common and therefore cheapest tool steels. Greg has a good idea too, as 5160 is readily available from scrapyards in the form of leaf springs from domestic light trucks.

[Greg]

The Germans?

Forget it, he's rolling.

Honestly my first response was "I think he's gonna jump!". I know, different movie but close enough.