Hardeness recommendation for frame lock

[Andre V]

Hi,

I am making a framelock out of 12c27 stainless.

What would be a good hardness to temper at. I was thinking about 45-50Rc. I am afraid that if i make it too hard the lock will not be able to move and it might snap.

Thanks in advance.

 

[JCaswell]

Well, I'm going to sound like a broken record since I just mentioned this steel in another thread, but here goes...

If I had to make a framelock out of steel (which is going to be much heavier than titanium and cause your knife to be less sellable since everyone seems to expect titanium in better-quality knives), I would use 17-4.

I'm not familiar with the alloy you mentioned or its characteristics, but 17-4 is easy to work and it's a precipitation hardening material, which means a very easy heat treat that is also extremely gentle (Heat to 900F for specified period then let cool to reach max hardness of ~45 Rc.)
I'm using a lot of this material now and have tested (torture tested it.) It features outstanding wear characteristics and simply will not snap in the application you describe.

Still, for weight and sale-ability, your best bet is Ti.

 

[Andre V]

Thanks for your response.

I did it out of Stainless, to try figure out what i am doing before i start working on the Ti. Ti is a bugger to work with. I will try 45Rc

 

[Andre V]

I picked up a great tip on another forum from Mick Strider. He said make the handle as hard as you can and then just soften the lock web.

Looking at the strider line up Mick Strider's advice is definitley good advice to follow