On 16 Apr 2007 00:59:40 -0700, "JoeD"
wrote:

I have a very basic question. When you go to toolanddie.com's web
site, they offer ground flat stock in O1, A2, 4142, etc. Are these
considered HSS? I am looking for 1/8" thick scraper bits for a Basham
tool.

Nope- every one of those is different, and none of them are HSS (M2).

But for home heat treating, you're better off with one of the first
two. The letters indicate what kind of quenching the metal needs to
harden it- O1 is oil-hardening, which means you need to dunk it in a
pan of oil to quench it. There are professional quenching oils, but
I've heard a lot of guys say they just use transmission fluid.
Usually the oil is heated a little (160-180* F, IIRC) to make the
quench less severe. Keep a fire extinguisher on hand- the oil can
start on fire when it reaches it's flash point.

A2 is air-hardening tool steel. It's easy to quench, because all you
need it to let it air cool- but from what I understand, once it's
hardened, that's the end of the game.

4142 is an alloy, and as far as I know, is not particularly good for
making bladed tools, though it is very tough and wear resistant. Odds
are, you won't be able to heat treat it at home- same thing goes for
M2. Each require some pretty specific treatment that is out of range
for most guys goofing around in the garage.

The blacksmiths I've talked to seem to like O1 the best. According to
most of them, you'll get more blade out of that than M2, because you
can heat-treat it properly at home, but you can't do much with M2.

Now, for the real answer to your question-
Stop looking for bars of steel! If you just need scraper bits, you
should be able to find short bars of M2 through most metalworking
vendors. It used to be that machinists ground all the tools they used
out of that stock, and it's still around. They should run about $1 a
piece.