"Generic" stainless heat treating

J

Jason Fry

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Jun 5, 2008
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Just thinking out loud here. Seems like with most carbon steel, you can get in the ballpark with a 10 minute soak at 1500 then quench in fast oil. That will cover the medium-speed quenching steels, and the fast, and will get close on both over and under eutechoid steels. You may not get 100% full hardness with a "generic" heat treat, but I think it would get you close.

Now, what about stainless? I've done D2 (not really stainless), CPM 154, and 440C. Seems like 1850-1900 for 30 minutes and then plate quench again gets you in the ballpark.

Am I way off base here? What do you think?
 
That is pretty much the range for general stainless steels. There are specialty stainless steels that need more heat, but 1900F/30 Min. will get most of them done to a fair result.
 
The big problem with mystery stainless is that all stainless is not martensitic. The basic HT described will harden a 400 series stainless steel, but will give a mixed bag of results in the other three types. You don't have much to loose by trying, but you will still never know what you have without getting it tested. If you have a large supply of it, getting an analysis done is a good idea.

One thing to think of here -
You will probably waste more money on belts, HT foil, and electricity, not to mention time, making a blade and doing a HT on mystery stainless than the cost of a foot of 440C.
 
Right, stacy. I just happen to have a 36" bar of this mystery stuff, along with a bunch of known steel. I figure I'd throw in a 1 inch square of the mystery into my oven with the next batch of stainless, just to see how it comes out.
 
Just for grins, I threw in a 1 inch square of the mystery steel when I heat treated some 1080 blades. I now also have a RC tester, which helps. The mystery stainless bar stock tested at 27 RC. I put the square in, gave it 10 minutes at 1475, and quenched it in 10 second oil. The result? RC 16. I'll throw another square in next time I do stainless and post what happens.
 
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