Small Production

Gliden07

Well-Known Member
So I'm starting to work smarter (I think??)! Made 6 AEB-L blanks, 4 Paring, 1 Fillet and a Boneing knife. 2 sold. Other 4 going to be for stock (H/T blades grind in Bevels) leave them with no scales then when I get an order I'll handle them with the scales of customers choice. I have to buy Dry Ice to Cryo so I may as well get my money's worth out of it. Picture shows only 4 but there are 2 more! LOL!
 

Attachments

  • 20210726_141002.jpg
    20210726_141002.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 19
I've started doing the same thing.. Dry ice isn't super expensive, but it does add up. It's a little easier and faster to do a batch of them then finish them out individually.
 
I also heat treat in batches, usually at least a dozen, they do start to add up though if you don't finish all before the next batch. I have probably two dozen heat treated blanks, then it becomes important to label the steel when they've been sitting around for months you forget.
 
I also heat treat in batches, usually at least a dozen, they do start to add up though if you don't finish all before the next batch. I have probably two dozen heat treated blanks, then it becomes important to label the steel when they've been sitting around for months you forget.

12 SS blades with plate quench? Most I've done is 4, I can plate quench and cool 2 at a time. 6 is gonna be a choir to get done in the time window I'll have.
 
12 SS blades with plate quench? Most I've done is 4, I can plate quench and cool 2 at a time. 6 is gonna be a choir to get done in the time window I'll have.
Yeah they're not always all stainless but I've done 12 stainless in one batch. Two knives per soak, while the next two are soaking I cool off the plates in cold water. When I finally have some spare shop time I'll be making some water cooled plates so I won't have to remove them to cool off then I can bump up to four or so per soak.
 
If you use air hardening blade material and make the exact same blade you can run as many as you wish. I use A-2 and leave extra material down near the tip for a bolt hole. Then I take the blades and bolt through that tab and the two pin holes. Separate with steel washers for cooling...wrap in foil...into the oven it goes. bolting them together keeps 'em straight. I lay a box fan flat with a rack about 10" above. Cut open the foil...slide out the assembly and lay on the rack spine up. Perfect consistency....I've done 25 blades this way at once. all straight...all hard.

Gonna try air-hardening stainless soon. Either AEB-L or CPM-154....not sure yet. if I can do AEB-L without edges warping with this method I would go with that steel. A small knife John Wilson made me from AEB-L a few years ago...STILL has not needed sharpening....much impressed with that steel.
 
Yeah they're not always all stainless but I've done 12 stainless in one batch. Two knives per soak, while the next two are soaking I cool off the plates in cold water. When I finally have some spare shop time I'll be making some water cooled plates so I won't have to remove them to cool off then I can bump up to four or so per soak.
you can quench "air cooled" steel in oil till black then air cool. i know that defeats the purpose of using "air cooled" steel but would be handy when doing a batch. if you go to the Sandvik site, you can get more info on using oil quench. 12C27 is very similar to AEB-L.
 
Back
Top