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Heat Treating and Metallurgy Discussion of heat treatment and metallurgy in knife making. |
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#1
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Heat Treatment Set Up Question
I was wondering which type of steel rod to use as the uprights on the firebricks that are used to set the knife packets in while they are being heat treated? I was thinking of just using some cheap 1/4 inch steel from the local steel yard but I wanted to ask first before I bought some, as I didn't want it to melt while heat treatment of my blades was going on.
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#2
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Your knife will melt before mild steel rods will. Increasing the carbon & alloy contents reduces the melting point for anything that we call "steel" as opposed to "cast iron."
You'll not be running anywere near that hot in a normal HT operation. __________________ Perfection is a process, not a goal. Perfection is a journey, not a destination. |
#3
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No need to worry about melting, but, SS rods will hold up better WRT decarb.
I'm not a fan of the individual wrapped blades inserted upright between rods. I much prefer making a horizontal pack. this can be either a single blade, or multiple blades(all the same thickness). I lay the pack on a firebrick, which supports them 100% and provides great heat transfer into the steel. I cut two grooves in the support brick, which permits me to insert my "u" shaped shovel/spatula under the packet when it's time to take the packet to the quench plates. The advantage of this is that the "pizza man" technique is a lot less stressful than having to get a grip on the blades with tongs(I dropped a few in my earlier days!). Also, I don't like the idea of having to open the furnace door repeatedly when doing multiple blades. I have my blades out of the furnace in 5 seconds or less, and, they're between the plates 5 seconds after that!!! Of course, this assumes you'll be press quenching, which is also my preferred method. Try it, you might like it! __________________ Stay Sharp, RJ Martin Knifemaker www.rjmartinknives.com |
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