Confused about NORMALIZING O1 asteel

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Poppa Cop

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Jan 25, 2014
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I have read to normalize the steel to heat it past temp and let air cool. Then I read that doing this and not quenching sill cause stress and may crack or shatter. Please help thanks Brian
 
Hi Brian,

Normalizing 01 is straight forward. Heat to 1600 fh and hold for a few minutes, let cool in still air. If you wish to refine the grain a bit more, next time take the steel to 1550 and cool in still air. It can be done again at 1500 which is the temp needed to harden. You can also quench instead of cooling it still air; it makes the process faster. Here is a link to K. Cashen's webpage on the subject; the man knows his stuff.
www.cashenblades.com/steel/o1.html

Fred
 
Thanks for the clarification Fred. Im new to the knife making world but have been having a great time learning the latest hobby. Thanks again Brian
 
That was a strange statement indeed. Normalize gives you more uniform grain size -do this especially after forging . It also stress relieves the steel . Of course you can't do it with an airhardening steel !
 
In simple terms:
Heat to 1600F and air cool. This will form evenly distributed carbides. Do not quench from this temperature or the blade may crack.
Heat to 1500F and air cool or quench. This refines the carbide and grain size. Quenching will create a finer size.
To spheroidize after forging and before grinding, heat to 1250F and hold for 2 to 3 hours. Air cool to black and cool off by quenching in either water or oil.
To harden O-1, heat to 1475-1500F and hold for 10 minutes. Quench in medium speed oil. This will yield a hard blade with fine grain and carbides.

For a more metallurgical answer, read Kevin's comments on this question ( Sept 23 post): http://www.hypefreeblades.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=753&start=10
 
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