Annealing O1

Whit

Whit

Joined
Dec 27, 2001
Messages
729
I never had a problem drilling holes in O1 blades after forging, normalizing, and annealing......until last night. Does anyone have any idea why the tang would be so hard after this process that I can't drill a hole through it? Suggestions?
 
some how you hardened the tang? you can do the process over without fear of ruining the o1, or maybe you need a new drill bit?:)
 
I tried a new drill bit. (troubleshooting step #1!!) I heated it back up this morning and it's sitting in the forge now to cool slowly. That's how I've annealed in the past, we'll see how it goes.
 
This knife has turned into a disaster. Now you can all tell me why. After forging, I heated it to cherry red and air cooled to air temp three times.
Then for annealing I heated it to cherry red and then left it in the forge, turned off and closed up the forge to allow it to cool slowly. Not an exact science at all, but it's always worked for me in the past.
I was able to drill it this morning after my second shot at annealing.
I hardened it, tempered it and then.....the disaster. I tried to get out a tiny tiny tiny bend in the tip and snapped it off clean! Man I hate when that happens!
Obviously things were going wrong from early on in the process. What can I learn from this???

I only said one cuss word when this happened, but it was a good one!

Thanks.
 
Hey George, it was more frustrating than breaking the weld on that cable 10 times at your house!!!
 
It was just the handle and it wasn't your fault, because Cheesel welded it on.:p :p :p :p OK, so I welded it a couple of times.
Ryan, you going to come down here one more time before the cold weather???
 
BEFORE the cold? It's already arrived here in Upstate NY! I don't think I'll be in the area until Thanksgiving. I may have to check out your inside shop a little more then!
 
Just my 2 cents here...Sounds like the steel cooled to fast the first round,using a medium like vermiculite(sp) or ashes that have been preheated should let the steel cool at a slower rate. Also may be that a high enough temp hasn't been reach to total normalize and anneal the steel.

The temper sounded like it left the steel a bit hard,are you using the the forge to temper as well?

Again,just my 2 cents here
 
Well... Are you sure the drill was turning the right way?
Yep. you always think you can't be THAT dumb, till it happens and you are there looking at the burnt bit and mentally banging the head in the wall saying "idiotidiotidiot..." :D
It happened to me once and learned the lesson :D
 
Sounds like you didn`t get it hot enough ( use a magnet ) and it probly cooled too fast also ( use vermiculite or ash in an insulated metal box with a lid ) I stress metal box with the ash though, not a card board box..lol ask me how I know!:eek:
 
Thanks for the help. Tell me which you think is preferable for annealing.... I have a metal ammo can filled with lime, or should I just close up the forge as I have done. No science involved here, but it seems like they cool awfully fast in that can of lime. Also this was a pretty thin blade, it probably did cool very quickly. Any way to avoid that?
 
Between the two, I would go with the forge option. You may heat up two pieces of steel with the blade and sandwich it between them (same heat). To create more mass, hence slower cooling. Try it if your method still does not work inside the forge.
 
At my work we use a floor absorbent that happens to a finely powdered vermiculite. If I heat my O1 to orange and stick it in the can its still very hot an hour later. The verm. seems to anneal very well. If push comes to shove you can always get tung. car. drill bits or try the high speed steel. From my machine shop experience you want to step up in drill bits. Meaning using a tung. car. bit for your first hole than you may get away using a high speed steel bit. Your reg. black oxide bits will not drill steel thats somewhat hard.
 
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