Can you heat treat stainlesss steel with charcoal?

G

Gregor133

Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Messages
25
Hi,

I have made myself a small furnace/forge out of a cinder block that I fill will BBQ charcoal to heat treat my knives. A blow drier pumps enough air into the furnace/forge to get the coals hot enough to melt 1075 high carbon steel (one of my 'better' blanks that I ruined:mad:). I do not have any way of controlling the heat produced by it.
I would like to make a couple of knives for my mates, but they aren't interested in keeping the knife clean and oiled.

Would it be possible for me to heat treat stainless steel, like 12C27, in my furnace/forge? :thumbdn::thumbup:
Thanks,
Gregor133.
 
inconceivable.jpg


In all seriousness, fill out your profile so we know whereabouts you live. There may be a good heat treater right in your back yard, or a maker with the equipment to help you out. Peters' Heat Treat is also a really good option, and worth every penny, especially on larger orders, OR our very own JTknives does small batches of stainless with cryo, for what I understand is a very reasonable cost.

I've done the math some in the past, and for most hobbyist makers, you're generally money ahead to send it out, both for the cost of materials, as well as for the results.
 
Double No !!
Any Stainless needs precise sequence & temperatures. You just wont achieve with briquettes & blowdryer.
 
Thanks,
I live in Kilaben Bay, New South Wales, Australia, just letting you know.
I've decided to make a kiln anyway so I should be able to heat treat stainless steel in the near future!
Will keep you posted.
 
"Can you" and "should you" are two different things. Can you get it hard in a fire, most likely, but I would not want it for a knife. Stainless is very picky when it comes to tempature control and soak time.
 
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