Heat Treat on Capenter's Axe?

J

John Frankl

Joined
Oct 16, 2001
Messages
1,917
I have a Wetterling's Carpenter's Axe, and the blade seems a bit "chippy" when chopping. That is, I get a lot of very small chips/deformations in the blade, and am wondering if these are heat treated to a higher RC hardness since they may be used for finer work as opposed to chopping?

Thanks,

John
 
I have seen this mentioned about some hatchets on other forums and one of the ideas was that there may be alittle stress on the edge and after some use the chipping accures and now all that is needed is some touch up sharpening and honing, this is for very small chips on the edge. after the sharpened they don't seem to chip like this. But it is possible to have a hatchet that is brittle or to hard. Pat
 
It could be that your blade has been over-heated in the tempering stage and is too crystalline in structure.
If this is true, it needs "normalizing".
Warning... This process should not be done to a good blade! Only steel that needs to change its 'crystalline structure' or state. Although this procedure would benefit most steel tools, some extremely hardened steel items could be damaged - or made less hard.

Also, be sure there is no paint or other chemicals or substance on the axe, as this may cause toxic odors or even fire!

To normalize steel (axes. hatchets, knives, etc.), preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the axe head on the top rack for about an hour.
(This approximate temperature is required to reach the 'straw' color in steel. -=- The top rack is used in your oven because the bottom element is the one that heats, turns off, then heats again. The top rack has a more constant temperature.)

After an hour, take it out of the oven and air cool it. (to room temperature.)
Use long handle pliers, tongs, or other tool to remove the axe and place it where no one will be burned by it, on a fire-proof surface that will not burn.

After it cools, prepare your handle (haft) and place the axe back into the oven, this time at 200 degrees for 30 minutes. While it's still hot, place it on the wooden handle and hit the handle (top) with a 2 pound deadblow hammer to seat it.
Read the tutorial on this procedure HERE - Part 1.
Code: 
http://bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=531185
And HERE - Part 2.
Code: 
http://bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=531187

Hope this helps the condition of your axe.

Ron
 
Have you re grind it ?? I think maybe this axes are grinding to hard after heattreat so the harding have gone out . Here are the temp if you want to heattreat it your self . 800 degree C for 6-7 min then cold in water then temper in 250 degree C for 30 min to one hours .you should not heat up the whole axe only ca ca 20 - 40 mm depends on how big you axe are when you harden it.If you need to heat the whole axe just cold ca 20-40 mm of the edge in water ,keep it long in water so it not get warm up again from the warm part of the axe.
Cegga
 
Cutting edge, that is NOT 'normalizing' ! Please use proper terms .steels are always crystalline. Your proceedure will do nothing to the blade that has not been done by tempering unless the edge has been badly overheated during grinding.....John you may be right about different HT. A skilled carpenter using an axe [I think rare these days] does precision work and requires a sharp tool with different grind. My first use of a carpenters hatchet ,which I still have , was to install cedar roof shingles when I was 12 !. I also have a Japanese carpenters hatchet ,very different from ours but also for precision work.
 
mariobab said:
Say Cegga, is there any way to recognize 800 C°,without professional furnace?
Click to expand...

Hey!!
I don´t think that all have something to do it with .But I write the temp so you no what temp it is .you need something like a oven or you can if you are good to see the colour when it´s up on 800 degree in a coal forge don´t no if this is the namne for it .Or you can heat it up and try with a magnet on it , When the axe are not magnetic it´s time to cold it in water .
Cegga
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top