9 inch French Blades

[ckluftinger]

After a long last, finally some new work from my shop: Two 9 inch French Blades, the top is 440C, the bottom AEB-L. Both heat treated to 1850F, soaked for 20 minutes. The 440C is oil quenched the AEB-L air quenched. 2 tempering cycles at 450F. The scales are Corian, with Corian pins. Your comments and critiques are always welcome. Thanks for looking!
Chris
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[Crex]

Very nice Chris!

[DanCom]

Chris,

Great looking blades!

I am becoming a fan of AEB-L. Did you get in touch with Rob at CKSL on the heat treatment recipe? I tempered mine at 200?C, but I was doing some 154CM at the same time. Results are good and getting the test in the kitchen right now.

Thanks for posting.

Dan

[BCROB]

Nice Chris......how did you like working with the Corian ?

Rob

[ckluftinger]

Dan, I followed the advice I received here on the forum. I don't have a Rockwell tester but judging from my low-tech file test and the amount of work (and belts) it took to finish, I'd say the heat treat worked well. Holds a very good edge, cuts plywood and cardboard without getting dull. The air quench really helped prevent warping - I've had this happen with the 440C before when oil quenching. I used compressed air to speed the cooling.
Rob, I like working with Corian. It is a lot more resilient than I was first led to believe. It's a bit heavy, but totally waterproof, sanitary, and looks awesome. It's easy to shape, polish, etc and comes in hundreds of colors and patterns - and you can get it for free if you ask nicely! I've made divers' knives using Corian before.