- Joined
- Jan 1, 2013
- Messages
- 6
Hello,
I believe this is my first post ever. Really just a new-be to the Craft. It is joy to see the Master Craftsmen/women with this skill and read all that is offered here.
In any case, I have one question.
What should the Rockwell hardness be at the tip (and lets say 1/2 back) on a Bowie Knife to ensure it will not snap off under some normal prying. (I know prying is subjective but under normal in the field abuse).
My process for this blade is as such:
This is a blade forged in gas forge at 1600-1700 degrees of 5160 steel
Once forged to size, I then did three thermal cycles to normalize the steel with:
Bringing the blade up to 1550-1600 degrees (in gas forge) and then pull it letting it cool in ambient still air conditions.
Then I annealed the blade to bring it to its softest state by:
1.) With blade (Wrapped in Stainless Steel Envelope with a piece of paper) in heat-treat oven, bring it up to 1525 degrees.
2.) Hold it at 1525 degrees for 10 minutes.
3.) Open the heat-treat oven door and cool as fast as possible to 1245 degrees.
4.) Close the heat-treat oven door and then hold at 1245 degrees for 6 hours.
5.) Then shut the heat-treat oven off and let it cool to ambient temperature about 10-12 hours.
6.) This leaves the blade so very soft with no carbon scale.
Then grind/holes/sand to about 220 grit, leaving the cutting edge about .025-.030 thick.
Then I heat-treat the blade at such:
1.) Bring the blade in a gas forge up to 1550-1570 degrees.
2.) Pull and cooled as fast as possible in Transmission fluid at 165 degrees with a plunge/lift/plunge/lift motion until it is cool to about 500 degrees.
3.) Pull from fluid and air cooled to ambient temperature.
Then I temped the blade at 300 degrees for 90 minutes, Which should have left the blade at about 60 HRc.
However, it ended up at about 61.5-63 HRc.
Then I applied my differential Heat-Treat to the spine by placing the blade in a trough of cold water so the cutting edge was cover by at least 3/8-1/2 and used an oxy-acetylene torch to heat the spine and handle up to just blue.
This gave me my hardness shown in the picture.
Thanks for any advice.
PeterTheWolf
I believe this is my first post ever. Really just a new-be to the Craft. It is joy to see the Master Craftsmen/women with this skill and read all that is offered here.
In any case, I have one question.
What should the Rockwell hardness be at the tip (and lets say 1/2 back) on a Bowie Knife to ensure it will not snap off under some normal prying. (I know prying is subjective but under normal in the field abuse).
My process for this blade is as such:
This is a blade forged in gas forge at 1600-1700 degrees of 5160 steel
Once forged to size, I then did three thermal cycles to normalize the steel with:
Bringing the blade up to 1550-1600 degrees (in gas forge) and then pull it letting it cool in ambient still air conditions.
Then I annealed the blade to bring it to its softest state by:
1.) With blade (Wrapped in Stainless Steel Envelope with a piece of paper) in heat-treat oven, bring it up to 1525 degrees.
2.) Hold it at 1525 degrees for 10 minutes.
3.) Open the heat-treat oven door and cool as fast as possible to 1245 degrees.
4.) Close the heat-treat oven door and then hold at 1245 degrees for 6 hours.
5.) Then shut the heat-treat oven off and let it cool to ambient temperature about 10-12 hours.
6.) This leaves the blade so very soft with no carbon scale.
Then grind/holes/sand to about 220 grit, leaving the cutting edge about .025-.030 thick.
Then I heat-treat the blade at such:
1.) Bring the blade in a gas forge up to 1550-1570 degrees.
2.) Pull and cooled as fast as possible in Transmission fluid at 165 degrees with a plunge/lift/plunge/lift motion until it is cool to about 500 degrees.
3.) Pull from fluid and air cooled to ambient temperature.
Then I temped the blade at 300 degrees for 90 minutes, Which should have left the blade at about 60 HRc.
However, it ended up at about 61.5-63 HRc.
Then I applied my differential Heat-Treat to the spine by placing the blade in a trough of cold water so the cutting edge was cover by at least 3/8-1/2 and used an oxy-acetylene torch to heat the spine and handle up to just blue.
This gave me my hardness shown in the picture.
Thanks for any advice.
PeterTheWolf
