I do both blacksmithing and a little machining. Several tool steels are important to me. Recently I ran into a source for 1095 at a reasonable price, and while discussing it with others, the question came up as to "what's the difference between 1095 and W1?"
While looking in Machinery?s Handbook for the ?difference? between W1 and 1095 steels, I realized that the ?Letter Symbol? AISI/SAE classification system for tool steels didn?t appear until its nineteenth edition, 1971. So, if you want to look up W or O or H series tool steels, you will have to have a 19th or later edition.
For those who are interested, this classification system doesn?t appear to introduce any new steels, it just collected data on the ?tool steel? usages of existing AISI and or SAE types.
----Oh--- what?s the difference between W1 and 1095? Nothing, maybe, but W1?s carbon content can be as low as 0.6 % and still meet the description of the class. Usually, though, W1 seems to be sold as ?Carbon = 0.95% - 1.05.? It has no significant alloying elements.
Pete Stanaitis