Heat Treatment

[natecham]

Hey I'm new to knife making and was wondering how you veterans heat treat your knives. Do most of you do it yourself or send it somewhere?

 

[Karburized]

I built a mini forge and bought one of these.
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=199

When HTing i make sure the probe touches the blade to get an accurate reading of the steel.

 

[David Stifle]

Well, at 17 years of age, you sure have time to learn. First, there's all kinds of heat treating info in the stickies at the top of the page, that's your starting point. How you heat treat a blade depends on what type of steel you used, and a decision as to sending it out or doing it yourself depends on a lot of things, do you have space, the right equipment, etc. I assume your folks are supporting your knife making interests, but anyway, make sure they are on board. Heat treat a blade involves a certain risk, burning yourself or a helper, catching something on fire, and so on.

Anyway, with all that said, if you can provide more info, there's a lot of folks, myself included, who can answer specific questions.

 

[LRB]

I use an Evenheat oven and commercial quench oil.

 

[natecham]

Thank you guys a lot and as of yet I haven't got to start but I do not have a lot of space. I am hoping that my parents only have to start. One of my questions is can I still make a knife at a reasonable price if I send it out?

 

[Fletch Helical]

You can get a blade heat treated for around $25 or so plus shipping to and from. Some cases you get a better price if you send batches out to all be done at once. Like 4 blades might cost less per blade then just doing one, like a volume discount.

 

[natecham]

Thanks man I will probably just do that to begin with then maybe get into heat treating after awhile

 

[Fletch Helical]

Keep in mind too that the type of steel your using plays a big role in the ability to HT it. Certain steels you can use a magnet to know if you've hit the right temperature before quenching. While others require a specific temp for a specific time certain types of quenches, others might require a Cryo treatment after the specific soak and quench.

 

[natecham]

Honestly I was mostly going to focus on Damascus, but yeah I will definitely have to do more research and find out a lot more. I really appreciate the advice. I don't want to limit myself to Damascus either.

 

[quint]

I would start with regular mono steel. 1084 is cheap and a good place to start. Once you learn your filing or grinding then move up to more expensive blade material.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

There are quite a few makers down your way. Making friends with one may allow you to learn some HT skills.

Start by sending it out. Then build a small forge. Eventually, if you stick with knifemaking, you will want a HT oven.

The stickies have a wealth of knowledge on every part of knifemaking. Reading all of them will take some time, but will make you a lot more prepared for when you do get started.