Heat treating D2

T

Tomaz L.

Joined
Jan 20, 2005
Messages
24
I finally got a shipment of D2 yesterday. I've never used D2 before and my workshop is pretty basic. I would like to heat treat the blades myself but I will be limited to a coal forge. Is that ok?

I understand D2 should be soaked at a constant temperature for 15-30 minutes before quenching. I'm not sure whether that is feasible in a simple coal forge nor whether it is actually necessary (the blade cross-section being so thin). Jim Hrisoulas reportedly does it in a simple forge without lengthy soaking, with good results. I was wondering what you guys think.
 
Even if you could acheive the necessaery consistancy in temperatures, and you will not, you will need to atmosphere control the steel (a foil wrap will do that). Without sheilding the steel from oxygen that amount of time in soak will cause deep decarburation and scaling.

I wouldn't heat treat D2 in a forge.

RL
 
High alloy steels have properties like ultra high C, Cr, V and Mo in the case of D2 that will give abilities to the finished steel in excess of normal C steels, but only if the heat treatment is done right. Lacking the proper treatment, it will not match up even to the normal C steels due to oversized Carbides and under hardened matrix.

Hardening temperature range for D2 is 300° to 400° F higher than that for simple C steels, as wells a needing the long soak times.

There is no point in using a premium steel if you can't give it the treatment neccessary to its performance.
 
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