Any changes before HT?

S

Salolan

Joined
Feb 27, 2013
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I have a few blades I plan on HTing tomorrow if all goes well. Any last minute critiques/suggestions?

This one is a little clip point in Cupples 1/8 1080.
Bc8lVrA.jpg


Here are a couple different takes on paring knives I'm trying in Cupples .065 15n20.
JwupC8I.jpg


Thanks for looking,
Chris
 
Thank you Frank. It seems to have went well. No visible cracks or warping and the file skated off all of them. In the oven for temper as we speak.

Chris
 
I dig that sheepsfoot paring knife on the bottom there. I recently purchased some .70 15n20 from Cupples. Just out of curiosity, and if you don't mind sharing of course, what was your quenching process? There are any number of ways out there to do it, and more than one can be correct. I've heard everything from clay tempering to interrupted water/oil hybrid quench to aluminum plate quench. I'm interested in a bit of practical feedback if you're up for it. Especially since a lot of the advice I've been reading was using Aldo or Admiral steel. I'm not sure how much Cupples differs from the others.
 
I don't mind at all. Though I dare not say how I did it is optimum. In speaking with Kelly, he told me I could treat the 15n20 just as I would 1075 or his 1080. However, I remember someone here advising to hold temp at just over non magnetic for 5 to 10 minutes for improved results.

I heated it up just past non magnetic and did my best to hold that temperature for just over 5 minutes. Quenched in heated canola oil. Wiped the excess oil off and hit the edge with a file. The file skated across and wouldn't bite so I went on to putting them in the oven for tempering. I did 2 cycles of 400 F for 2 hours. I also did 2 blades in the pattern of the top photo with 1/8 1080. Same methods save I didn't worry about trying to hold a temp nearly as long. I don't have any ways to test according to the Rockwell scale but the 15n20 seems every bit as hard as the 1080 came out.

I've only been doing this just over a year so I still have A LOT to learn. I plan in the next couple months in building a good blown forge. I feel my embarrassingly poor set up is my biggest flaw at this point.:(

Maybe I can schedule a road trip to Sunfish Forge if Don would be willing. I'm likely to learn a thing or 20.

Chris
 
Salolan, you have far more experience than I do with all of this stuff but I read recently that 1084 needs no soak as there are no (or very little) alloying ingredients to get into solution. Wouldn't the other steels be the same, or is there something I'm not seeing. I just don't want to miss something when I go to 1075 for choppers.
 
Thanks very much Salolan, I appreciate the info. I doubt your current setup is too faulty if you're getting results. Everything I've done so far has been with a brush torch and a pile of firebricks, and while I'm no expert, I've been satisfied so far. Not that that has stopped me from constructing another forge body and hoping that ceramic blanket prices drop by 2/3rds. Did you do a full harden and temper or just an edge quench on the 15n20?
 
I'm sitting here anxiously waiting someone who really knows how to do it to tell me I did it all wrong.....:eek:

I believe you to be correct Strigamort. However, I let the 1080 soak for a minute or 2 to make sure it was properly heated through as the edge will heat much faster than the spine. I likely left it in longer than I needed to. I am still at the stage where I question and even doubt my execution of the methods. In regards to being "far more experienced than you", you surely must be speaking of someone else! :rolleyes:

Chris
 
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