D6 knife steel HT

[Constantin Opris]

Hi!
Can anyone give me the HT details of D6 tool steel for knife making?

I would appreciate any other info regarding the particularities of the specific HT - like for example why a lower temp would reduce the formation of carbides and how this influences the performance.

I would appreciate some input from experts like Mete or Kevin Cashen.

Thank you in advance!

 

[DeadboxHero]

Hi!
Can anyone give me the HT details of D6 tool steel for knife making?

I would appreciate any other info regarding the particularities of the specific HT - like for example why a lower temp would reduce the formation of carbides and how this influences the performance.

I would appreciate some input from experts like Mete or Kevin Cashen.

Thank you in advance!

Lower temp what? Austenizing temperture? Tempering Temp?

D6 is a curious steel but it's outmatched by other steels with custom HT.

 

[Constantin Opris]

Austenizing temp.
I am currently experiencing with different types of steels, and I am curious to know as much as possible about their HT.
I found some threads on 52100 and 80crv2 which I already tried. I now have a d6 stock to work with. As far as I can tell, seems like the steel was not annealed, as I destroyed 2 hacksaw blades while trying to cut them to shape.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

Austenizing temp.
I am currently experiencing with different types of steels, and I am curious to know as much as possible about their HT.
I found some threads on 52100 and 80crv2 which I already tried. I now have a d6 stock to work with. As far as I can tell, seems like the steel was not annealed, as I destroyed 2 hacksaw blades while trying to cut them to shape.

I suggest you ask a mod to move this to Custom Knife Makers...Shop Talk, they may be someone there that can help you.

 

[DeadboxHero]

Lower Austenitizing temp would reduce carbon in soultion, not carbide volume.

You cannot "reduce carbide formation" with lower austenitizing tempertures.

With all steels, the highest carbide volume is before HT in annealed condition.


Carbides are dissolved or reformed and made small with higher austenitizing temp. The consequence of higher austenitizing tempertures is if too high you get too much retained austenite after quench from too much alloy dissolved in soultion and the grains will grow rapidly when enough carbides are dissolved with nothing to pin them at temperture when austenitizing.

You should use the manufacturer spec sheet as a guide and build heat treat coupons at a range of austenizing tempertures and hardness test as quenched and after tempering to build curves. You can see the peak hardnesses and when you get too much retained austenite which will drop the hardness.

You can select from the trades offs of what you like from there.

If I may be frank, D6 will never be a fine carbide steel. If that is the highest priority you should use AEB-L or a low carbide volume PM steel, or expensive, exotic PM Nitrogen steel.

However, you already have the D6 so might as well put it to good use. Should make a nice toothy edge with pretty decent wear resistance, the toughness though will not be great.

Austenizing temp.
I am currently experiencing with different types of steels, and I am curious to know as much as possible about their HT.
I found some threads on 52100 and 80crv2 which I already tried. I now have a d6 stock to work with. As far as I can tell, seems like the steel was not annealed, as I destroyed 2 hacksaw blades while trying to cut them to shape.

 

[Willie71]

Mete and Kevin Cashen no longer regularily frequent this site.

do you have the equipment needed to anneal or heat treat D6?

 

[Constantin Opris]

Thank you all for replying! This is my first time posting on this forum, so this is why it has been probably mistakenly placed.

DeadboxHero, I am looking to learn first of all. Don't want more or less carbides, but just to know what they are and how they work. I appreciate you clarifying the matter in some regard.

Willie71, I have a kiln I got from a guy at work who got it from his dad... Old but I can heat treat with it. I am not 100% sure that the thermocouple is still accurate as it should be, so I ordered a new one that I need to figure out how to install.
I am not a fan of gas forges, as I've read and learned that accurate temperatures and holding times are required if one wants to get the best out of a specific steel. I don't say some people can't do that with a gas forge, but I am not having so much time to experiment and get experience that way.

 

[Willie71]

Thank you all for replying! This is my first time posting on this forum, so this is why it has been probably mistakenly placed.

DeadboxHero, I am looking to learn first of all. Don't want more or less carbides, but just to know what they are and how they work. I appreciate you clarifying the matter in some regard.

Willie71, I have a kiln I got from a guy at work who got it from his dad... Old but I can heat treat with it. I am not 100% sure that the thermocouple is still accurate as it should be, so I ordered a new one that I need to figure out how to install.
I am not a fan of gas forges, as I've read and learned that accurate temperatures and holding times are required if one wants to get the best out of a specific steel. I don't say some people can't do that with a gas forge, but I am not having so much time to experiment and get experience that way.

Good that you have a kiln. You need it for high alloy steels. Have you checked out knifesteelnerds.com? Lots of great heat treat info there.