Another question for you stainless gurus

B . Buxton

B . Buxton

Joined
Jul 8, 2001
Messages
3,623
Can 416 be forged down from bigger stock say 1 1/2" round without messing up its easy hand workability, or will it need a long annealing soak at reducing heats or another form of treating to obtain its work ability again?

Thanks,

Bill
 
Bill, it would need to be forged at welding temps and stop hammering early (2200 down to 1750) or it will crumble. It will air harden to about 40 Rockwell C, so without either a 1250/1300 temper or an annealing cycle in the furnace it will be a PITA to drill and file a slot. You might be able to get by with one last heat and shoving it in the wood ash, but I'm not sure about that because it will probably still harden some.
 
Thanks Mike, that doesn't seem to bad to deal with, I might get a short piece and give it a try, its not near as expensive in bar form as it is from the knife suppliers.

Bill
 
Bill, Phillip Patton is making a forged 440C guard for a knife in the custom forum, and has a method for a forge annealing. He's drilling and filing away without a problem. 416 would work the same. If he doesn't answer this himself, I'll forward his method to you.
 
Hi guys,
Here's my method:

After forging, I let it cool down until it becomes magnetic again, then I heat it up to just under non-magnetic and let it cool, repeat a few times, then put it in the forge to cool slowly. I let the forge cool down some first, because obviously you don't want it it get hot enough to form austenite. It's been my experience that 440c is easier to anneal using a forge than is L6.

I would think 416 would be even easier than 440c, but then I haven't tried it.

Hope this works for you, Bill.
 
take to 1500-1650 cool no faster than 50f/hr to 1100-1200f then cool in air. This is per McMaster Carr stainless data sheet.
 
Thanks Mike, Phillip and A.C.
I just bought a mill this evening so this could get even more interesting. :eek:

Bill
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top