Heat Treatment for K100 - For Newbies

A

Andres Cadiz

Joined
Mar 1, 2020
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Hello

I am new to the knife world and learning a lot every day.

After some intense search, the only metal I can find locally is K100 in 6 mm billets.

From what I read its not the best steel for a newbie, but trust me its the only thing I can source and I did my homework. I might be able to find W2 and other tool steels in the coming months.

Due to COVID, shipping costs make it not viable for me to import steels to Chile from places like AlphaKnive or NJ Steel Baron to name a few

I dont have any fancy tools or equipment, I was hoping to heat treat this billets using charcoal. If this is an absolute no, I was hoping to get a gas torch and to this manually.

I want to keep this under a budget and develop my shop in case I get hooked on this very nice hobby.

¿Is this a terrible idea? I was hoping to use the steel tube trick in order to avoid warping, but this will be my very first time doing this.

All input is deeply appreciated

Cheers

Andres
 
K100 is very similar to d3. I've not personally used it or heat treated it. This was found on another forum here for heat treating k100.

(766°C) Ar3: 1370°F (743°C)
Preheating: To minimize distortion and stresses in large or complex tools use a double preheat. Heat at a rate not exceeding 400°F per hour (222°C per hour) to 1200-1250°F (649-677°C) equalize, then heat to 1400-1450°F (760-788°C). For normal tools, use only the first temperature range as a single preheating treatment.

Austenitizing (High Heat): Heat slowly from the preheat to 1700-1750°F (927-954°C)

Quenching: For oil, quench until black, about 900°F (482°C), then cool in still air to 150-125°F (66-51°C).

For pressurized gas, the furnace should have a minimum quench pressure of 4 bars. A quench rate of approximately 400°F (222°C) per minute to below 1000°F (538°C) is critical to obtain the desired properties.

Tempering: Temper immediately after quenching. Hold at temperature for 1 hour per inch (25.4 mm) of thickness, 2 hours minimum, then air cool to ambient temperature.

For maximum wear resistance, temper between 300-350°F (149-177°C) for a hardness of 62-63 HRC. For the optimal balance between wear resistance and toughness, temper between 450-500°F (232-260°C). This will produce 58-60 HRC.

To minimize internal stresses in cross sections greater than 6 inches (152.4 mm) and to improve stability in tools that will be EDM'd after heat treatment, soaking times of 4 to 6 hours at the tempering temperature are strongly recommende
 
I would say that K100 isn't a good steel to HT in a charcoal forge. It really requires a HT oven. I won't comment on whether it is a good knife steel or not.
The info in the previous post is for large items and industrial purposes, and not right knives.

For our purpose, the HT would be something like:
Pre-heat to 1400°F and hold for 10 minutes.
Austenitize at 1700-1750°F for 10 minutes
Quench in oil to drop below 900°F and then place in quench plates.
Temper twice at 400-450°F for 1 hour each temper.
 
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