Heat treat with borax

[Arlee]

Dont try to heat treat 440-C with borax in an open forge unless you just want to destroy some good steel,at least thats what happend to me.It warpped,pitted and just plain got ugly.I guess I should have known better(when something sounds to good to be true it usualy is)

 

[recondoc1]

I've never even thought about using stainless in an open forge. From what I've heard, you'll trash the knife.
Just playing with you. Seriously, I only use an open forge for Carbon Steels. Maintaining a heattreat temp for stainless seems like it would be difficult if not impossible.
Doc

 

[Bart student]

Well, i pulled it of with a gasforge and a salt pot, off course, with kitchensalt and not borax (use borax to get the boiling temp up, and carbonate to get it down). I've done D2 and 440B this way. Not even a stain.

Achim Wirtz once said that ironoxide + borax on welding temps creates
boric acid and something else.. I guess that's why people use to forgeweld, it can eat the iron oxides. If it can eat iron oxides - and 440C oxidizes at that temp in a heartbeat - it must be capable of damaging the structure.

But hey look on the bright side.. the now solid pot of borax is full of anhydrous borax !

Greetz and take care, Bart.