HR 1095 and CRA 1095

[gig]

I'm getting ready to make my first knife out of 1095. The supplier of
the material shows HR 1095 and CRA 1095. Can someone tell me what the
difference is and which one one would be preferable?

Thanks,

Greg

[Ken Vale]

Post by gig
I'm getting ready to make my first knife out of 1095. The supplier of
the material shows HR 1095 and CRA 1095. Can someone tell me what the
difference is and which one one would be preferable?
Thanks,
Greg

The letters have to do with the process by which the steel was formed
into its current shap. HR is Hot Rolled, CRA is Cold Rolled Annealed
(spelling?). Basically it means that both are soft, and the same type of
steel; the HR is the approximate size (which is no big deal if you are
going to forge it or machine/grind it to size), it is covered in scale
(hard black oxidized iron); CRA is the exact size speciffied, it has a
smooth shine surface which does not need to be machined/ground so long
as it is the size you want, most CR has a work hardened surface but this
does not since it has been annealed. Others may have more to add but
that is the jist of it.
Ken

[a***@XX.com]

Post by gig
I'm getting ready to make my first knife out of 1095. The supplier
of the material shows HR 1095 and CRA 1095. Can someone tell me
what the difference is and which one one would be preferable?
Greg

I'm guessing you aren't going to forge it, right?

I've never bought any Hot Rolled 1095. :(
Guessing it looks like common mild-steel with the mill-scale
still on it? But for sure, don't know. :/

It's half as expensive as the Cold Rolled Annealed 1095.
So it's good for blacksmithing?

The CRA 1095 will be shiny-white and smoother-finished than
precision ground tool steel. :) I use its surface as-is for
pocket knife blades and springs, when the thickness is right. :)

Will need more feed back on what you've got planned, to make
more sense of this.

Alvin in AZ (book worm)

[gig]

Hi Alvin,

No, I'm not going to forge it. I'm going to cut it to the basic shape
with a band saw, then file it down and heat treat it. This will be my
first knife, so naturally I may not know what I'm doing yet. (o:

Greg

Post by a***@XX.com

Post by gig
I'm getting ready to make my first knife out of 1095. The supplier
of the material shows HR 1095 and CRA 1095. Can someone tell me
what the difference is and which one one would be preferable?
Greg

I'm guessing you aren't going to forge it, right?
I've never bought any Hot Rolled 1095. :(
Guessing it looks like common mild-steel with the mill-scale
still on it? But for sure, don't know. :/
It's half as expensive as the Cold Rolled Annealed 1095.
So it's good for blacksmithing?
The CRA 1095 will be shiny-white and smoother-finished than
precision ground tool steel. :) I use its surface as-is for
pocket knife blades and springs, when the thickness is right. :)
Will need more feed back on what you've got planned, to make
more sense of this.
Alvin in AZ (book worm)

[Ken Vale]

Post by gig
Hi Alvin,
No, I'm not going to forge it. I'm going to cut it to the basic shape
with a band saw, then file it down and heat treat it. This will be my
Greg

If you can find the right size CRA should work out just fine but you
could use HR, it all depends on how much metal you feel like removing.
Ken

[a***@XX.com]

Post by Ken Vale

Post by gig
No, I'm not going to forge it. I'm going to cut it to the basic shape
with a band saw, then file it down and heat treat it. This will be my
Greg

If you can find the right size CRA should work out just fine but you
could use HR, it all depends on how much metal you feel like removing.
Ken

Yeah what Ken said, but even tho the difference in the price of the
two is quite a bit they are both, still, cheap as dirt. My guess is
you'd be much better off with the CRA stuff. Sometimes refered to
as "cold finished" too. It'll please you in more ways later than
the HR stuff. There's plenty of time to get truck loads of the HR
stuff if you get into forging. ;)

While making your knife take digital pictures or scan off pictures
of any of the steps involved you feel like making. They will be a
cool record and several of us on r.k will be glad to see them too. :)

If you don't have a place to post the pictures you can email them to
me as an attacthment when you're ready.

Replace the XX with panix... man has it been nice having -no!- email
spam. :)

Alvin in AZ

[Greyangel]

I would think the CRA would be softer than the HR. Purposely annealed
should be as soft as you can get while the HR is more of a don't care kind
of thing. I've never even seen CRA and don't consider the factory scale to
be a problem. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing? A file will take off
the scale pretty quick and I like the scale to keep track of the blade lines
easier. By the time I get done shaping it there isn't much of the original
scale left.

GA

Post by a***@XX.com

Post by Ken Vale

Post by gig
No, I'm not going to forge it. I'm going to cut it to the basic shape
with a band saw, then file it down and heat treat it. This will be my
Greg

If you can find the right size CRA should work out just fine but you
could use HR, it all depends on how much metal you feel like removing.
Ken

Yeah what Ken said, but even tho the difference in the price of the
two is quite a bit they are both, still, cheap as dirt. My guess is
you'd be much better off with the CRA stuff. Sometimes refered to
as "cold finished" too. It'll please you in more ways later than
the HR stuff. There's plenty of time to get truck loads of the HR
stuff if you get into forging. ;)
While making your knife take digital pictures or scan off pictures
of any of the steps involved you feel like making. They will be a
cool record and several of us on r.k will be glad to see them too. :)
If you don't have a place to post the pictures you can email them to
me as an attacthment when you're ready.
Replace the XX with panix... man has it been nice having -no!- email
spam. :)
Alvin in AZ