this isnt a non-firearm weapon yet but i thought i would share my experiences with admiral steel like i mentioned in another thread.
i ordered 50pounds of assorted steels 1095,1080,ats34, in thicknesses from 3/32-3/16 and 1"-2" wide to turn into knives.
it looks like the pieces were sheared from a sheet but the shearing was with the grain not across it (a good thing). the radius left on the edge from the shearing was very small...about 1/32" which is smaller than most hot rolled steel ive gotten from knife supply houses. shaping and surface grinding will eliminate almost all of the radius.
the steel had the expected as-rolled dark grey surface with little or no scratches or corrosion...nothing that will cause problems.
the pieces did have slight warpage to them...most were warped about 1/4-1/2" over a length of 60"...which is perfectly acceptable to me. 2 pieces were warped about 3" over 60" length which could be a problem for long knives but it will be used for 6" knives..i applied slight pressure and reduced the warpage to about 1/2"-1"..some more fanagaling and with the surface grind it shouldnt be an issue.
for the heck of it i heated up a couple of inches of the ats34 and 1080 with a torch and quenched it (plate quench for ats34, water for 1080) and both hardened to the point where a file wouldnt cut them. i broke the pieces off and the grain was nice, small, and even. i doubt there will be any heat treating issues. as for the reported pitting in the ats34...it will be at least a month before im to the finishing stages to find out if there are hidden flaws in the steel (which would be hitachis fault not admirals).
ive been happy with my dealings with admiral this time around and they will be hearing from me again. terry was pleasant to deal with, the items shipped fast and arrived in good shape. the selection and prices are much better than most places. if they keep up the good work i will be able to order most my steels from them and flatstock.com for tool steels (man their prices are good)
i ordered 50pounds of assorted steels 1095,1080,ats34, in thicknesses from 3/32-3/16 and 1"-2" wide to turn into knives.
it looks like the pieces were sheared from a sheet but the shearing was with the grain not across it (a good thing). the radius left on the edge from the shearing was very small...about 1/32" which is smaller than most hot rolled steel ive gotten from knife supply houses. shaping and surface grinding will eliminate almost all of the radius.
the steel had the expected as-rolled dark grey surface with little or no scratches or corrosion...nothing that will cause problems.
the pieces did have slight warpage to them...most were warped about 1/4-1/2" over a length of 60"...which is perfectly acceptable to me. 2 pieces were warped about 3" over 60" length which could be a problem for long knives but it will be used for 6" knives..i applied slight pressure and reduced the warpage to about 1/2"-1"..some more fanagaling and with the surface grind it shouldnt be an issue.
for the heck of it i heated up a couple of inches of the ats34 and 1080 with a torch and quenched it (plate quench for ats34, water for 1080) and both hardened to the point where a file wouldnt cut them. i broke the pieces off and the grain was nice, small, and even. i doubt there will be any heat treating issues. as for the reported pitting in the ats34...it will be at least a month before im to the finishing stages to find out if there are hidden flaws in the steel (which would be hitachis fault not admirals).
ive been happy with my dealings with admiral this time around and they will be hearing from me again. terry was pleasant to deal with, the items shipped fast and arrived in good shape. the selection and prices are much better than most places. if they keep up the good work i will be able to order most my steels from them and flatstock.com for tool steels (man their prices are good)
I actually have some on my desk right now that I'll probbaly sandblast instead of rub out. 
