Resource for Heat Treating Knife Metals

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Apr 7, 2019
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I've been doing a lot of reading behind the science of heat treating metals. In fact, I find the subject fascinating.

My problem however, is where the "rubber meets the road" in Knife Making. Everywhere I look I find somewhat different advise on annealing, hardening and tempering metals like 440C, NitroV, CPM154 and AEB-L.

Is there a one-stop resource, like a book or website which would give me generally accepted steps for annealing, hardening and tempering? Any info would be helpful.
 
The ASM Heat Teeater's guide is a good staring place.

Alpha Kni8fe Supply has excellent HT info specific to blades.
 
You need to go the steel manufacturer's website and view the datasheet for the given steel.
https://www.bohler-edelstahl.com/en/
http://www.crucible.com/products.aspx
https://www.uddeholm.com/us/en-us/
https://www.carpentertechnology.com/

In the case of AEB-L they don't have a great datasheet easily available. Sandvik's hardening guide for 13C26 is better: https://www.materials.sandvik/en-us...ife-steel/hardening-guide/hardening-programs/ Or you can use this guide to heat treating AEB-L: https://knifesteelnerds.com/2019/03/04/all-about-aeb-l/

There was a Nitro-V datasheet but I believe it has been superseded by a newer recommended heat treatment.
 
What is an app?
Not sure if this is an actual question, but I think (emphasis on the word 'think' because I use my phone pretty much only for communicating with people and have yet to add an App to it) he's referring to a program (application?, appliance?) you download to your phone or other mobile device.
 
make sure you take your advice from reputable sources. for instance if you look at knife groups on facebook i have seen people advising what type of transmission fluid to use for quenching cpm-154 lol.
 
First learn to read CCT (continuous cooling transformation) and TTT (or isothermal transformation) diagrams. Then look at different manufacturer's datasheets and study the CCT diagrams they publish. You will find the most reliable information you need in that one place, then you can start playing with parameters (starting with austenization temperature, then tempering times and temperatures, then the effect of subzero treatments on the tempering temperatures and times, since they change with and without cryo for some steels). A problem you will find is that many steels have different "correct" heat treats depending on their intended use, so the only way to really determine the best heat treat is to go off this type of data, pick a target based on the desired microstructure, and see how closely you can replicate it with your equipment.

Other knifemakers' experiences will be invaluable and surely give you a better place to start than the manufacturer's datasheet, but in order to fully understand what they are doing, why they differ from manufacturer recommendations, and why it works for their purpose, you should still start by absorbing transformation diagrams.

Larrin, who humbly posted above without linking you to the article on his site that I would send you to, has a lot of good information presented on his knifesteelnerds site. If you haven't already absorbed that, it's a great place to start.
 
Not sure if this is an actual question, but I think (emphasis on the word 'think' because I use my phone pretty much only for communicating with people and have yet to add an App to it) he's referring to a program (application?, appliance?) you download to your phone or other mobile device.

OK. So, you stick it on your rotary desk phone sort of like a travel sticker? What does it do for you after that?

You guys know I'm just joshing ...but I don't do "Apps".
 
The App has most of the text of the heat treater's guide which includes compositions and recommended temperature ranges. It is missing all of the charts and images which are probably more useful. The Heat Treater's Guide also doesn't have information for proprietary grades which is most anything made after about 1970, maybe a few years earlier. Many knife steel grades are not included. Grades where you can find some information include 1080/1084, 1095, 5160, 52100, W1, O1, A2, D2, and 440C. You won't find any information on CPM-154, AEB-L, Nitro-V, etc.
 
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