Texas Knife Makers Supply Heat Treat

Forrest Taylor

Forrest Taylor

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
May 13, 2021
Messages
348
So I just got a knife I sent in for heat treat to texas knife makers supply. The blade was CPM 3V.
Someone had written D2 on the tang. Now prior to sending it I had engraved CPM3V so WTH.
I called them and they said they heat treat all blades the same, 1880 degrees for 15 minutes and then temper for 500 degrees twice for 2 hours.
Now that's not what CPM website states for 3V. I told him what the manufacturer calls for is 1950 degrees 30-45 minutes and 1000 degree temper three times two hour minimum.
The guy I spoke too said that's what management dictates because they don't want to do different temps for each type of steel. ☹️
So now I'm wondering what kind of blade I ended up with. The whole idea of going with 3V was to get better toughness and wear resistance that D2.
Boneheads should have just sent it back and told me to find someone else.
If you are wanting D2 done I guess they are fine.
Boneheads

Looking at Crucibles website it may be that it is slightly higher HRC but less toughness.
 
Heat treating in that manner isn't very professional for a knife supply company. Not making their single set of parameters known ahead of time in print would be decidedly unprofessional.
Caveat emptor.
 
Yeah no %#^%.
Pisses me off that I sent other 3V blades in and didn't know that was what they are doing.
Their D2 formula is pretty close to Crucibles so those blades are probably ok.
 
Forrest Taylor said:
Yeah no %#^%.
Pisses me off that I sent other 3V blades in and didn't know that was what they are doing.
Their D2 formula is pretty close to Crucibles so those blades are probably ok.
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This is the frustrating stuff that makes you buy a furnace. You'll get there eventually. And now you've been screwed once, you'll be asking plenty of questions of whoever does your next batch.
Wish you the best. You do nice work.
 
Sando said:
I cook my baked potatoes in the oven for one hour at 400 degrees. I also cook my steaks for one hour at 400 degrees.
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I sent my steak and potatoes out for heat treating, and I'm still waiting on them! Have a sneaky suspicion they may have ate them.
 
fitzo said:
This is the frustrating stuff that makes you buy a furnace. You'll get there eventually. And now you've been screwed once, you'll be asking plenty of questions of whoever does your next batch.
Wish you the best. You do nice work.
Click to expand...

Thank you.
I'm still pretty pissy about spending extra money on a bar of 3V to only end up with a blade comparable to A2.
An oven has been something I've been waiting to get. I kept thinking I'll just hold off since I don't make that many at once and I can send them off. Looks like I'll be ordering one in the next few days. Assuming I can find one for sale at a place other than TX knife makers supply.

Now that I've vented I guess I'll get back to hand sanding the blade to finish the bowie build.
 
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Forrest Taylor said:
Thank you.
I'm still pretty pissy about spending extra money on a bar of 3V to only end up with a blade comparable to A2.
An oven has been something I've been waiting to get. I kept thinking I'll just hold off since I don't make that many at once and I can send them off. Looks like I'll be ordering one in the next few days. Assuming I can find one for sale at a place other than TX knife makers supply.

Now that I've vented I guess I'll get back to hand sanding the blade to finish the bowie build.
Click to expand...
You're welcome! Well deserved. And I understand pissed. In this case, it is called righteous indignation.

You can salvage those blades. Ask Hoss or Larrin or Deadbox if you need to do any fancy thermal cycling before giving them another austenitization. I say save them for the inaugural run of your (eventual) new furnace, so you can turn towards the place that f'd 'em up and send a salute into the air. But, that's just me. LOL

I fully understand those who send batches out for HT, especially those who do it for a living. That said, there's freedom and assurance in doing your own HT, and it gets down to what a knife is really about after pretty. Read what D Devin said on the cryo thread. Truth.
 
I'm not sure I'm going to try to re_heat treat.
As I'm not knowledgeable enough to speculate about the qualities of 3V done this way I may message our world renowned resident expert for his opinion.
 
one of my best friends, who is an okay knife maker, ( Nathan the Machinist Nathan the Machinist ) told me three things when I first started out;
1. you need better lighting
2. you are not a very good knife maker
3. you need an oven if you're going to make prototypes and test designs
the best advice!
 
Not to sound like a broken record, but I have used Peters' for years with no issues.

Eventually I would like to get a set-up that I can heat treat and cryo my own S90V and such.
 
It took me 3 batches of waiting to make the move to internalize heat treating. In my experience, it is really difficult to sell knives reasonably with shipping out and back plus heat treat fees added in to your costs. If your gonna do more than a handful of blades a year, I think you'll wind up taking the plunge :)
 
kod said:
What's less than ideal about those numbers for D2?
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The austenitizing temp is OK, a tad high but not by much. 15 minute soak is not long enough, 30 minutes is better (and is the minimum soak time Crucible recommends for D2). There is no mention of any cryo prior to tempering. Cryo would not be necessary if the recommended tempering temp was in the secondary hardening range. But because the secondary hardening temps are not mentioned, cryo really needs to be done prior to tempering to take care of RA. And then there is the 500°F recommended tempering temp, which is getting into tempered martensite embrittlement range, and I don't think any steel should be tempered that high (unless you go up to the secondary hardeing temps.)
 
Forrest Taylor said:
So I just got a knife I sent in for heat treat to texas knife makers supply. The blade was CPM 3V.
Someone had written D2 on the tang. Now prior to sending it I had engraved CPM3V so WTH.
I called them and they said they heat treat all blades the same, 1880 degrees for 15 minutes and then temper for 500 degrees twice for 2 hours.
Now that's not what CPM website states for 3V. I told him what the manufacturer calls for is 1950 degrees 30-45 minutes and 1000 degree temper three times two hour minimum.
The guy I spoke too said that's what management dictates because they don't want to do different temps for each type of steel. ☹️
So now I'm wondering what kind of blade I ended up with. The whole idea of going with 3V was to get better toughness and wear resistance that D2.
Boneheads should have just sent it back and told me to find someone else.
If you are wanting D2 done I guess they are fine.
Boneheads

Looking at Crucibles website it may be that it is slightly higher HRC but less toughness.
Click to expand...
I can help with some small batches if need be. I’m set up with a kiln, cryo, and a hardness tester. I just don’t like messing with water or oil quenching.
 
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