Are there any writings about knives when stainless steel was first introduced?

[BigMoney]

A lot going on here. Folks talking about cryo which i thought was tempering and sub zero quench as being similiar. Also the “german” sub zero quench which is celsius??

Maybe some one can clarify everything above. Lots of people using same words but seeming to talk about different things and different words talking about the same thing.

 

[Larrin]

A lot going on here. Folks talking about cryo which i thought was tempering

Cryo is not tempering. Cryo is short for "cryogenic" which means very low temperatures. Tempering is done above room temperature.

and sub zero quench as being similiar.

Subzero is distinct from cryogenic in that it is "below zero" Fahrenheit but not as cold as cryogenic temperatures. Cold treatments of various types have the same goal in heat treating though there is some range in target temperature based on equipment.

Also the “german” sub zero quench which is celsius??

Henckels patented the use of subzero cold treatments as part of heat treating of knives in 1939. Cold treatments were already known at that point but this was likely the first use in heat treating knives. The temperature scale they measured has no bearing on the actual process.

 

[stabman]

No, it can be beneficial for edge performance even at the same hardness. There are ways to minimize the need for cryo depending on the steel and target hardness. It depends on how much you are pushing the hardness for the given steel. Vanax or LC200N you probably would top out at 58 Rc for a “good” heat treatment without cryo. Adding cryo you could get an extra couple points. But they are on the low end. Other steels can do well significantly harder without cryo. Hard to talk specifics without doing a whole article.

Interesting.

When I made a Nitro-V knife I wanted 59 Rockwell, so it seemed cryo would have been detrimental, as then it'd have to be tempered hotter to get to the desired hardness, which might cause embrittlement (from I recall reading at the time).

Guess it all depends what mix of attributes one is aiming for.