Circular saw blade steel

[AlexKV]

Ok, so i got this circular steel saw blade, and it seems to be hard working with it. I used dremel to cut out a section for a small wood carving blade that I'm making.
I tried gripping only one tooth in a vise and then breaking it sideways, and as expected, it snaps pretty easily with very little bending.
Few days before, i tried another and a bit thicker long leaf blade which also broke into pieces without bending, just a little flex... BUT after heating one section to almost non magnetic and quenching it in water, the blade bent 90 degrees without problem and without breaking, but of course it didn't get back in primary position. Just after getting it flat again, then it snapped...

So, my question is, what would be the best heat treatment for this type of steel to make it usable for wood carving? (pliers in picture are for size comparison)

Thanks in advance!

 

[viral]

Heat to non magnetic and quench in canola. It's unknown and there isn't a soul here that could even guess at its make up. It could be a dozen different steels. 1084 is cheap and it's easy to heat treat at home and get good results. I would recommend ordering some and giving it a try.

 

[AlexKV]

This is just an experiment, but in future, I'll be working with 5160...
Thanks!

 

[samuraistuart]

I keep hearing people say "heat to non magnetic and quench". This is not right. Non magnetic is around 1414°F for carbon steels. If you quench at this temperature, you will not achieve max hardness. Carbon steels, low alloy, need to be at around 1500°F to harden. So we say, when using the magnet, "a shade or two more, past non magnetic." 5160 should be even a tad hotter, as it is technically hypoeutectoid. 1525°F.

Good luck with the saw blade knife. If the saw itself is good carbon steel, then quenching in 130°F canola oil, once the blade has reached and equalized for a few minutes at 1500°F (again, HOTTER than non magnetic) will give you what you're after. Temper 400°F for one hour at least twice. If we knew exactly what steel the saw blade was, we could give more precise answers. But 1500°F, short soak, 130°F canola oil, and 400°F tempers is a good route to take.

 

[J W Bensinger]

I was given about 20 old circular saw blades-I treat them like 15n20 as a baseline and haven't had a bad blade yet (I really only use them for science experiments and inexpensive repurposed-steel kitchen knives for the local farmer's market)
The blades that don't have carbide teeth are probably a better grade of steel at a guess.