Heat treat oven

[Jakeboy]

I've got a few basic tools for beginning knife making (1" belt sander, drill press, scroll saw, circular sander, sand blaster, bench grinder, vises and plenty of hand tools, so I think I'm OK there for now. I might want to upgrade some of this stuff in the future after I get my feet wet, though!

My question involves heat treating. My wife has become seriously addicted to glass fusing and has purchased two electric glass fusing kilns (soon to be delivered). These kilns are capable of heating to a temperature of 1700 degrees F and come equipped with electronic temperature controls that (because of the nature of glass fusing), are quite accurate at holding a set point. Is there any reason I couldn't use these kilns for heat treating blade steel? I plan on starting out with 1084 or 1095 steel, not only because it's less expensive than a lot of the steels, but also because I really love these as a blade material.

Here are links to the two kilns Sue has on order:

http://jenkenkilns.com/b3k-156-2.aspx This is a small kiln that she'll use for her jewelry projects.

http://www.greatkilns.com/glass_240_208_kilns.cfm The model she ordered is the GF214ETLC with the RTC-1000 controller.

Any replies would be much appreciated!!

 

[Wloch248]

It seems that they will get up to the temps you will need. I would go 1080/1084 because the HT is a little harder to screw up. The first one is a little shallow and depending on knife length you might get too close to the heating elements and heat the steel too much. The second one is a better size for preventing that overheat due to closeness to coils.

You will have to get the appropriate quench oil also. I personally use McMaster-Carr 11 sec oil with 1080. I have been getting approx 58-59.5 or so rockwell after tempering.

You may also want to get a knife rack like this: http://www.usaknifemaker.com/evenheat-blade-fixture-mk1-designed-for-knife-ovens-p-1380.html

 

[Robert Dark]

These kilns are capable of heating to a temperature of 1700 degrees F and come equipped with electronic temperature controls that (because of the nature of glass fusing), are quite accurate at holding a set point. Is there any reason I couldn't use these kilns for heat treating blade steel?!!

1700 should get you through most carbon steels, however, stainless requires a tad bit higher temps.

Good luck,

Robert

 

[Jakeboy]

Thanks guys! I'll start out with the 1080/1084 steel. I just need to figure out what I'm going to do about a small quench tank. BTW, that site Wloch248 posted is quite a site for knife building stuff. Thanks! I was looking at their wood for doing scales and noticed that many of the blocks came at 1" thick. Do you guys saw them in half to get two pieces at 1/2" thick? If you do, what kind of a saw do you use to split the block? It looks like one piece would be enough to make a pair of scales and at the cost of some of the fancier woods, an economical move.

Robert, my wife and I are dog rescuers, too. Best dogs we've ever had. "Busta" looks like a cool guy.