Differential Heat treating

In this experiment, I used 1095 Carbon steel to produce the blade, following all of the normal steps to normalize and thermal cycle the blade to prepare it for hardening.  I used a small amount of refractory cement (mixed to the consistency of sour cream) to create the pattern along the back of the blade.  After letting the cement dry completely, I brought the blade up to critical temperature as usual and quenched in oil.  To make the Hamon pattern bright and visible, I brought the blade up to a mirror polish, and then hand buffed with WD40 and jeweller's rouge on a rag.  The guard in 416 stainless and the handle is Cocobolo rubbed with Tung Oil.

In a future experiment, I'm planning to prepare a blade using the same 1095 Carbon Steel, but this time from a billet composed of 300 layers, just to compare the eventual pattern.