Do you guys heat treat the liners on a liner lock?

[PRSblade]

After 6 years of making knives I'm starting to make my first liner lock and I'm getting mixed answers on whether to heat treat the liners or not. I,m using 1/16 AEB-L for the liners with S90V for the blade. I'm thinking about heat treating the liners flat so the pivot and stop pin holes will be hard and then taking a torch to the lock bar while bending it so it's not brittle. What do you guys think?

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

I would pre bend and heat treat to the highest level of toughness available. It will still be plenty hard.

Titanium is the industry standard, way easier to sort out. Steel would be nice though.

 

[PRSblade]

I would pre bend and heat treat to the highest level of toughness available. It will still be plenty hard.

Titanium is the industry standard, way easier to sort out. Steel would be nice though.

Thanks. I was concerned the hard steel would snap instead of flexing properly.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

Thanks. I was concerned the hard steel would snap instead of flexing properly.

Hopefully someone who has done this chimes in with RC numbers to shoot for. I was just researching this for an inset lock but decided to just go with titanium...even after 100+ locking folders I still have to tune the lock a bit and with steel I don;t think you really have that option, or at least as much.

 

[Ken H>]

I would expect the liner lock would be around the same around 45 Rc hardness as a backspring on a slipjoint.

edit: I should mention the way I HT AEB-L backsprings. Soak for 10 minutes or so at 1925°F (no need for freezer or cyro treatment), quench plates, then temper at 1100°F for 2 hrs usually gives around 45 Rc or so. This is what I've been told by some top notch slipjoint makers. Has always worked for me.