Heat Treating practices

[JTknives]

We have received a lot of questions as of late about our processes and I felt it best to bring a few things to light here on the forum.

One of the big questions we have been getting quite a bit recently is if we have a stress relieving charge on AEBL, NitroV exc. We do not charge for this and have not found it to be required on these alloys. The only alloys we have found that need normalization are carbon steels that have been forged or a few alloys that NJSB sells.

Another question we get quite often is if we torch straighten. We don’t and never have. We put a lot of effort into each blade we process for our customers. Torch straightening can become visible during finishing as well as elevate crack risks in some alloys. We use surface peening to straighten blades before they are shipped out. This generally is only .001-.003 deep little dimples and is easily removed during finishing.

As I said above, we take great pride in the quality we provide to the knife making community. We really appreciate all the support from you guys and look forward to what the future holds.

If any of you have questions please ask away and I will do my best to help you out. Thank you - JT

 

[deerrockknives]

I appreciate this info and transparency. Nice

 

[Joseph Bandeko]

I've gotten to the point where I do all my own heat treating, but you are definitely the best place I found! And the place I always liked to send my blades. Thank you Jarod for offering a great reliable service!

 

[JTknives]

I've gotten to the point where I do all my own heat treating, but you are definitely the best place I found! And the place I always liked to send my blades. Thank you Jarod for offering a great reliable service!

Thank you that means a lot

 

[JTknives]

We are currently making some major changes and upgrades that will drastically increase turnaround speed and volume capacity.

 

[Cliff Carter Knives]

We are currently making some major changes and upgrades that will drastically increase turnaround speed and volume capacity.

That’s exciting! Care to share what they are?

I’ve sent almost 100 stainless blades your way and you’ve done a tremendous job caring for each one!

 

[Crag the Brewer]

I'm glad to see you are back/up and running.....

I missed you when you were slowed down/shut down a bit ago.

The heat treater I used screwed up most of my stuff.

*hope all is well


I got a fairly large batch (for me) that I've been holding on to until you came back

 

[Alpha Knife Supply]

Recently we've received multiple requests for heat treating referrals. The majority were regarding a heat treater using torches to straighten blades. Lately we've also heard about a heat treater adding a special surcharge for heat treating some alloys.

Jarod, we've heard lots of positive comments from knifemakers about the quality of your heat treating. Thank you for clarifying your processes.

Chuck

 

[timos-]

Hey JT, what's the max width you can handle for your LN2 Cryo?

 

[JTknives]

Hey JT, what's the max width you can handle for your LN2 Cryo?

We do not use liquid nitrogen. We use a lab grade cryo freezer that sits at a constant -86°c (-123°f). This gives us much more flexibility in blade sizes with 20-23” blades being about the max length. It allows us to use large plates to keep blades straight if required (rarely needed). Using this freezer allows us to put the blades in as soon as thy can be handled with gloves. With liquid nitrogen you have to wait till the blade is as cold as it can get or you will boil off a lot of nitrogen. Also our blades get a 12-24hr soak in the freezer.

 

[Michael Black]

I'm glad to see you are back/up and running.....

I missed you when you were slowed down/shut down a bit ago.

The heat treater I used screwed up most of my stuff.

*hope all is well


I got a fairly large batch (for me) that I've been holding on to until you came back

Same here. I had to look up JT's old forum posts about carbide tipped hammers to make my own to correct all the horribly warped blades that I got back from another heat treater. Looking forward to using JT again on the next batch!

 

[JTknives]

Same here. I had to look up JT's old forum posts about carbide tipped hammers to make my own to correct all the horribly warped blades that I got back from another heat treater. Looking forward to using JT again on the next batch!

Look forward to it. We have even gotten blades just to straighten that where heat treated by another outfit but not/badly straightened. We where happy to help.

 

[Taz]

JT, Can you guys do 23" x 2.5" rectangles of S90V for HT and cryo? I got 2 big Shechita I need to get heat treated after I grind them.

 

[JTknives]

JT, Can you guys do 23" x 2.5" rectangles of S90V for HT and cryo? I got 2 big Shechita I need to get heat treated after I grind them.

Yes that’s not a problem. We we share getting into big sizes like that there can be an increased charge. There is a possibility it will need to be double foil wrapped as long blades have a tendency to be very harsh on foil envelopes. And currently the price of foil is about triple what it was in 2020. I was blown away when I got a quote for 2 more rolls. But yes we can handle your steel. I will run out and double check to make sure the cryo freezer will fit that length. But it shouldn’t be a problem if put in at an angle.

 

[Taz]

Awesome, thanks! I have a few oddball pieces I am getting ready to send for HT! I decided not to go through the torture of grinding 2 pieces of 18" x 2.5" S90V after heat treating!! I will email you in the next few days once I get the rest of the stuff I need to send figured out!