heat treat rack?

W

willy m

Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
255
no this queation is not meant to be funny!! what kind of racks do you guys use in your forges? im having trouble keeping it from bending or warping thanks,willy:):)
 
I have a piece of inconel 800 with 5 slots cut in it. It sits side ways in my oven and I set the blades in it edge down and it holds them fairly straight up. I can then reach in with my tongs grab a tang and out to quench. I have not had any warp problems but, seldom make long thin blades.
 
How about a picture of this inconel 800
maybe the firebrick
 
I think that putting tungsten rods from a tig welder across would work too.
 
No racks in my FORGE I just hold the blade with my tongs...

Are you wanting to put a rack in a gas forge or in a electric oven?

I havent heard of anyone heating multiple blades in a gas forge,but then again I have always just done mine one at a time anyway,no electric oven here.

curious to hear how others are doing this.

Bruce
 
this is for a gas forge. i hav a horizontal rack made from 16 penny nails but its not level. i guess thats some of the reason they are bending and warping. i cant find 1 place around here that has even heard of the soft firebricks, and ive never heard of inconnel 800. any other ideas??? thanks willy
 
make a rack out of 304 stainless,I have 3 pieces of 3/4 inch 304 stainless rod across the bottom of my forge to set my Damascus billets on and they work great,or cut grooves in a hard brick using a masonry saw (or a dry cut diamond masonry blade on the side grinder)

Good Luck
Bruce
 
I believe the soft firebrick are called insolating firebrick.
around here you can get them at a brickyard or a masonry dealer
 
I know....you stock removing son of a gun......me...
I use the brick pieces provided from the furnace maker and the rods provided by the same (I hav a KM 14 or something close to that from Paragon)..
They work fine.
 
Inconel 800 is a very red hard metal that is very corrosion resistant. Often used in Nuke reactors and the like. Mine is a piece of scrap from making roof hangers for piping that carries crude oil thru a 1800 f furnace.:D A chunk of stainless or fire brick will work, My piece should last longer than I do.:eek:
 
Disclaimer: I'm a stock removal / computer oven kind of guy.

Having said that, I have to question if your warping problem is from your "racks". There are so many more likely causes;

  • Grinding technique
  • Uneven Heat
  • Wrong temperature
  • Quenching technique
..and probably lots more. I'm not saying any of these apply to you - but don't be too quick to assume it's the blade holder. If your blades are over 3/32 thick, I can't imagine the holder being the problem.

Rob!
 
Isnt inconel what they use in electric stove eyes ?
If so couldnt you just lay one of them in the forge as a shelf.
Bruce
 
Bruce Evans said:
Rob,his rack is what is bending and warping not his blades...
Bruce
Click to expand...

:o Oops. My mistake. His last post was about stock warping while annealing. I though this was a follow up to that thread.

The paragon blade holder is almost too small - but perhaps about right for your coffee can forge.

Rob!
 
I use fire brick with slots cut in it also. Easy to make using a saw, and masonry cut off wheel.
 
kiln shelves from a pottery store cut to fit with a masonry blade work pretty well. a friend of mine use this and it works well. he has a verticle forge and cuts the shelf so that it fits throught the forge and rests on both door openings then the rack for holding the blades. the kiln shelf protects the blade from the direct contact of the flame and helps even out the heat. the shelf is removeable for normal forging and welding. a pyrometer setting above the shelf lets him adjust his forge for the proper austenitizing temp.
 
it is my blades that are bending and warping. i was thinking it might be coming from my rack because its not level. as they are heated they seem to bend somewhat to the dips in my rack. my blades are 3/32 thick at the spine. some do and some dont bend. my forge is a 3lb coffee can with a jh7 mapp gas torch 3/4 of the way back 1/4 down from the top pointing straight in. i was thinking mabey extend to size of two cans and 2 burners for a more even and "gentle" heating.
 
if you are having problems with your blades slumping into the dips of your rack you must in my humble opinion be getting them way too hot! I use a rack bent out of some 1/8 inch stainless TIG rod in my electric kiln and have had no problems with that. When I am using one of my forges for heat treating I hold the blade with tongs so I can keep an eye on itand keep it moving to try to keep the color somewhat even. My thought is that if you are getting the blade so hot that it is slumping into your rack the problem isn't your rack, its' your heat getting away from you.


-Page
 
:onow it is my turn to use the red face...I thought you was talking about the rack as you never mentioned the blades warping..."Sorry Rob"....

I agree the blades warpping can be caused by many things,but if yor putting them in a small can forge with a mapp gas heat source and just setting the blades on a rack till hot most all your heat is coming from one side and that will warp a blade in a heart beat.Gotta keep the heat even on both sides,Try holding the blade with tongs and keep rolling it in the forge along with moving it in and out so the heat hits all parts of the blade at a even rate.

Bruce
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top