Recommendation? Hardness tester or HT oven

[Ian Fifelski]

Hey all. Merry Christmas!

This will be a future purchase after some saving but I am curious as to what you all think of which I should get. If I get the kf 13.5 evenheat or the grizzly hardness tester, the prices are nearly the same. (other similarly priced ovens are included)

I am a new maker but I have received excellent feedback from customers and even some (what I call) master knifemakers. I would like to make stainless knives but I do plan on continuing to use high carbon a bunch.

My question is, do I get a hardness tester and know the hardness of my forge hardened high carbon blades and send stainless blades out to peters ht. Or do I get a heat treat oven and have a more reliable and precise heat treat for steels including stainless, but not know the exact hardness? One last "or"... Do I save a while longer and get both, and in the meantime continue with testing hardness with a file.

Well I am probably overthinking this (like a good new guy) but thanks all,
Ian

 

[SBuzek]

I had my heat treat oven long before I got my hardness tester, although I was lucky enough to have a friend at a machine shop that would test blades for me at random times to make sure I was hitting my goals.

 

[MBB]

Oven. Given good practice, your numbers will be well within the ballpark with an oven. The hardness tester allows you to refine the results your oven gives you (e.g. maximize hardness) and do quality control checks. Thus, oven first, hardness tester second (or later, at least).

 

[HSC ///]

I would get the oven first if I had to choose one

 

[E.Carlson]

Oven. I would get at least the 18" though. You don't want to out grow it, and the cost difference isn't all that much more overall.
Keep you eyes peeled for a deal on a used hardness tester. I got mine for about 450 at a pawn shop.

 

[JG Custom Metal Works]

Buy the oven. Test with a file until you can afford a hardness tester. If you get an oven to do stainless, you’re gonna need a liquid nitrogen dewar to cryo treat your blades. Those are around $175-$400. Id also get that before a hardness tester. Once you get the oven and dewar, heat treat a few coupons(small test pieces) of different steels you plan to use. Send them to get the hardness tester or get it done locally. Write down the exact recipe you used for each piece and you’re set once you get the hardness numbers back.

 

[skillgannon]

From what I understand you want a I am to even do 1095. I liked that bowie that you were doing. If you had a oven you could use 1095,W1, W2 or just get better performance out of other tool steels.
Also the tester before the oven seems backwards since to way to dial in your heat treatment is to find a way to have better control.
Just my .02. I think your work looks better than mine so keep it up.

 

[Ian Fifelski]

Thanks all! All very good points.

I am going to add this question to this thread:

What controller do you suggest? I am not a very techy person so something simpler would be great for me. The TAP looks nice, your thoughts?

 

[Willie71]

Go with the oven, but get at least an 18”. Since you want to do stainless, this makes sense. The temps will be close enough that you will get useable blades close to optimal Rc#’s. The hardness testers help dial things in with an oven, or if you are using a forge without temp control.

Most stainless steels will be fine with dry ice and acetone for sub zero. Just save up 10 blades or so to do in one day, so you don’t waste it. Optimum is cryo, but it’s not absolutely needed. Even with a-wear, just use high temper rather than cryo and the blade will be great.

 

[kuraki]

My advice for a maker putting his equipment together piecemeal would be to outsource heat treating until you're happy with where you're sitting for other equipment.

 

[E.Carlson]

I love the TAP. Haven't used any of the others and I'm sure they aren't very difficult once you learn them, but I like seeing all the info on the screen. Simple to use and program.