I just did a batch of blades. D2 @ 1850 x 30 min, plate quench, dry ice x 4 hours. CM154 @ 1950 x 30 min, plate quench, dry ice x 4 hours. I had RC values around 64 after a 400 degree temper, and still at 63 after a 500 degree temper, both steels. All the charts start at RC 62 or 63 and say add 1.5 points for cryo then temper down from there. Am I so dialed in that my tempering temperature needs to be that much higher? Not used to having to temper so high...
1084 is easy and repeatable, same recipe (1475, temper at 450), same results (RC 60-61), every time. Seems like every time I do stainless, I need a different tempering temperature for each batch. Heck, even within this batch, the 3/16 cm 154 blades were 61 after a 450 temper, where the 3/32 blades were all hard as described above. All this variation is annoying. I don't like walking my temperature up by 25 degrees each cycle, especially if it means I have to do 5 or 6 cycles to get anywhere. Am I missing some variable that I should be controlling?
1084 is easy and repeatable, same recipe (1475, temper at 450), same results (RC 60-61), every time. Seems like every time I do stainless, I need a different tempering temperature for each batch. Heck, even within this batch, the 3/16 cm 154 blades were 61 after a 450 temper, where the 3/32 blades were all hard as described above. All this variation is annoying. I don't like walking my temperature up by 25 degrees each cycle, especially if it means I have to do 5 or 6 cycles to get anywhere. Am I missing some variable that I should be controlling?
