1080 has a slightly higher manganese content than other 10XX carbon steels before it allowing it greater hardenability. It is a very simple steel making it one of the most forgiving for beginners. It has a wide margin of error in heating operations and is very easy to work. In normalizing and annealing operations it will form nearly complete pearlite which will return quickly to solution on heating.    

Forging:  Heat to 2150 °F (1175 °C). Do not forge below 1500 °F (815 °C)

Normalizing: Heat to 1600 °F (870 °C). Cool in still air.

Annealing: Heat to 1500 °F (815 °C). Furnace cool to 1200 °F (650 °C) at a rate not exceeding 50 °F (28 °C) per hour.

Grinding or Machining

Hardening: Austenitize- Heat to 1500 °F (815 °C). Quench in water or brine. Oil quench sections under 1/4 in. (6.35 mm) thick

Tempering:  As-quenched hardness of approximately 65 HRC. Hardness can be adjusted downward by proper tempering

Polish

I-T / TTT diagram for 1080:

The following tempering guidelines apply to 1080 that has been hardened to industrial standards.  Knifemakers using other methods will have to adjust the resulting hardness numbers downward for the same temperatures.

*The above information is based upon personal experience and testing along with data from ASM International, Carpenter Steel and Crucible Service Centers.

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