RC hardness question

J.Leclair

Well-Known Member
Hi guys I just recenly got a few knives back from HT they are all 440c. I have never used this steel before and is the first time I have sent blades to be HT'd. The blades came back and I am more than impressed with the job the company did the blades are super clean and will require very little clean up to make them ready for handle scales. the only thing I was wondering is how much difference is there between a blade at 58 RC (which is what I requested) and a blade at 60-60.5 (which is what I got back) I was told that 58 would be a good cross between toughness and hardness. will 60-60.5 be too hard/brittle. and if they will be too hard what temp should I temper them at to bring them down. I dont have an RC tester so wont be able to check them myself. thanks for your help guys
Jason
 
I agree with mike, 400 degrees is a good tempering temp. Rockwell, 60 - 60.5 is to hard for 440C. Even expensive hardness testers have a margin of error of plus or minus 1 point, this means if a tester reads Rockwell 60 it is in the 59-61 range. The 57-59 range is a great working hardness for 440C knife use.
Clint
 
I don't think 60Rc is extreme for small blades like that, but re-tempering like Mike and Clint say wouldn't hurt either. They both have a lot more experience with 440C than I do :thumbup:
 
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