Heattreat and the grain

S

schmiddy

Joined
Apr 21, 2010
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51
Rymes with Pinky and the Brain.


I've been reading about heat treat and how it relates to the grain of the steel. Whereas large grain in steel can indicate overheating of the steel or other improper handling of the steel. Sometimes when perusing through pictures of custom knives I run across knives where the grain is very visible to the naked eye, even in low quality pictures. Is this indicative of poor quench or temper of the blade or is it just a lower level of finish/sanding/polishing?
 
The fracture grain (when broken) is affected by HT. The "grain" of the finish is affected by sanding or grinding grit. Unrelated "grains".
 
Are you by chance thinking of pattern welded steel. This question reminds me of one of my daughters old boyfriends asking her if when he gets better at it will those lines go away? It was a random pattern damascus blade.

Bob
 
There are also some knifemakers who etch their blades in acid, where a macro-structure of the steel can be seen (mixed with sanding marks). You're not seeing grains there either, unless the knife was very badly overheated.
 
So you cant tell how small the fracture grain is by looking at the surface grain, correct?
 
So you cant tell how small the fracture grain is by looking at the surface grain, correct?
Click to expand...
No.

Fracture surfaces can be etched to highlight the grain boundaries, which may add to the confusion.
 
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