How Annealing of Steel Works – Subcritical vs Transformation Annealing

[Larrin]

A new article to make you feel better about missing the Blade Show. Introduction to the two major types of annealing, how they work on a microstructure level, and how different variables affect the result of the annealing procedure. https://knifesteelnerds.com/2019/06/10/how-annealing-of-steel-works/

 

[DeadboxHero]

This is a great subject. It is very curious how prior set up before Austenizing plays a role with performance after HT and going deeper with how the annealing works is acutually a "dark horse" topic.

 

[DevinT]

Annealing is more complicated than other areas of heat treating and there is less information available. Great subject.

Hoss

 

[Larrin]

Annealing is more complicated than other areas of heat treating and there is less information available. Great subject.

Hoss

That's true, annealing is kind of taken for granted.

 

[Willie71]

This is very helpful. I need to read it again. Not my favorite article, but still very good. I never felt I really understood annealing. So much to learn.

 

[Tenebr0s]

Larrin, thanks so much for writing these. It's become almost gospel in the internet knife world that you should never ash/vermiculite anneal a hypereutectoid steel. If I'm understanding DET correctly, then ash cooling a hypereutectoid steel will work for spheroidizing as long as the correct austenitization temperature is used?

 

[Larrin]

Larrin, thanks so much for writing these. It's become almost gospel in the internet knife world that you should never ash/vermiculite anneal a hypereutectoid steel. If I'm understanding DET correctly, then ash cooling a hypereutectoid steel will work for spheroidizing as long as the correct austenitization temperature is used?

Yes.