Heat Treating A2

[P.Brewster]

Thanks Paul & everyone.

 

[flatgrinder]

Mr. Bos: Do you heat treat 01? and if so, how much to do a 7 inch blade and roughly around 13 inches overall? i'm guessing you Heat treat anything?

I'm pretty sure he doesn't. Air cool only.

 

[Paul Bos]

Leu: Because of OSHA. I had to quit using my salt pot and Oil Quench tank, They wanted $3000.00 a year to keep running it, Dident come close to doing that much Oil and water quench material. Was not trying to drum up business was trying to help Patrick out with a Heat Treater near him. Thank You. Paul.

 

[Leu Custom]

Well now i know! Thanks guys!

 

[Leu Custom]

Thanks RJ !

 

[Matt Logan]

I have heat treated over 1000 blades in A2. Here is how I do it:
Wrap blades in SS foil, no combustible inside package.
You can preheat @ 1425-1450F for 10 minutes. Then, ramp as fast as possible to 1750F. Soak 30 min for 1/8 blade, 45 minutes for thicker stock.
A2 is very resistant to grain growth. Undersoaking is far more detrimental than oversoaking.
Press quench between Aluminum plates. Deep freeze in Ln2, or, proceed directly to temper @ 425-450F. Double temper. Aim hardness is Rc60.

Hello RJ,

I'm using your recipe tonight for A2, and I had a couple questions....first off should I temper twice for 1 hour each? Also, how much pressure should I use on the plates during quench?

Thanks,

Matt

RJ Martin

 

[Matthew Gregory]

Matt, this thread is ten years old, and RJ hasn't been a participant here in many moons. I'll bet I can field this question for you, though, in his stead...

You want firm, consistent pressure when plate quenching. Smart guys will use a vise - I've seen some really good setups using woodworker's vises, with the aluminum plates affixed to the jaws, so clamping is fast and has even pressure.

You should be doing two two-hour tempers with your A2.

Hope this helps!