Couple of questions

izafireman

izafireman

Well-Known Member
Over the last few weeks I have been asking several questions about heat treating and stainless/carbon 'Damascus and have a couple of questions which occurred to me today.

Ok regarding heat treat, I take it I would only need to make two ovens, one for HT and the other for tempering?......I take it I don't need anything for normalising as I am using stock steel and can use either of the other ovens, probably a dumb question but as I will be new t HT best to clear that one up.

Now Damascus. Once you guys have handled a full tang 'Damascus' knife, do you always keep the pattern running through the exposed part of a full tang handle or do you ever just keep the blade with the pattern but keep the part running through the handle plain steel. Just I saw a knife that looked like that and was wondering if acceptable as such?
 
Ok regarding heat treat, I take it I would only need to make two ovens, one for HT and the other for tempering?
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Yes..... however, if you have an electric kitchen oven (that holds temp well) you can use that for a tempering oven for carbon/alloy steels, as their tempering temps rarely exceed 450F. Stainless steels will require two ovens..... simply because with a single oven, it's takes an excessive amount of time for an oven to cool from austinizing temp, to tempering temps, and the risk of stress cracks in a blade becomes very real.

Once you guys have handled a full tang 'Damascus' knife, do you always keep the pattern running through the exposed part of a full tang handle
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It's really a personal preference thing. I choose to finish/smooth out the exposed edges, as well as the spines of blades. I like the contrast it creates in a knife, and based on comments from clients, so do they. Either way is acceptable, as long as it looks "right".
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Yes..... however, if you have an electric kitchen oven (that holds temp well) you can use that for a tempering oven for carbon/alloy steels, as their tempering temps rarely exceed 450F. Stainless steels will require two ovens..... simply because with a single oven, it's takes an excessive amount of time for an oven to cool from austinizing temp, to tempering temps, and the risk of stress cracks in a blade becomes very real.


It's really a personal preference thing. I choose to finish/smooth out the exposed edges, as well as the spines of blades. I like the contrast it creates in a knife, and based on comments from clients, so do they. Either way is acceptable, as long as it looks "right".
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Thanks Ed. I think I will have a go at both ways with the 'Damascus' as I feel, though could be wrong, its a hell of a lot easier to do it that way in the terms of time/cost/

The oven, looks like I will defo be having to build two then...

Many thanks
 
izafireman said:
......I take it I don't need anything for normalising as I am using stock steel .....
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Don't necessarily assume you won't need to normalize and/or thermal cycle steel right from the supplier, just doing stock removal.

It would be VERY dependant on where you buy your steel and the internal condition its in when you receive it.

Any oven that will handle austenitizing temps should be capable of normalizing.
 
J. Doyle said:
Don't necessarily assume you won't need to normalize and/or thermal cycle steel right from the supplier, just doing stock removal.

It would be VERY dependant on where you buy your steel and the internal condition its in when you receive it.

Any oven that will handle austenitizing temps should be capable of normalizing.
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TBH ...I was thinking along the lines of it would be ok as I will only buy from reputable stockists, would they normally know if it was needed would you think?
 
izafireman said:
TBH ...I was thinking along the lines of it would be ok as I will only buy from reputable stockists, would they normally know if it was needed would you think?
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The might know, and they might not. And they might wing it and say they know when they don't.

I don't think its a bad idea to, at the very least, thermal cycle any new steel.
 
John is right...... DO NOT assume anything when it comes to blade steels. It has taken me YEARS to trust the suppliers I use.....and there are only 3 that I will purchase from.

As with most things, steel is produced as cheaply as possible, in order to realize the most profit possible. Most steel shows up in a spheroidized annealed state. A more descriptive term would be halfway annealed. Sooner or later you're going to run into a piece of steel that you try to drill....the bit will lightly cut the surface, and after a few thousandths, will hit "hard" steel, and stop cutting. If your like most, you'll try to apply more pressure hoping to make it cut, then the bit will squeal, maybe smoke a bit, and will wreck the drill bit..... you've just had an encounter with spheroidized annealed steel. ;) Normalizing and annealing are then necessary.
 
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