Hot Water

[Walt2]

I would like some input on this from some of the makers. A lot of the old timers used to be strong advocates of not letting a knife sit in hot dish/rinse water, claiming it would ruin the temper in the blade. Any thoughts on this?

 

[cpirtle]

Hi Walt,

While I'm not a maker I thought I'd post my thoughts on this.

In the past I have made a couple of hundred Kydex sheaths for various people and myself. In the beginning I was concerned that it would have an effect on the tempering especially when using the same knife over and over to mold with.

What's involved in the process is heating the Kydex to about 325 deg. wrapping it around the knife and then pressing it for about 8-10 minutes. When the knife comes out it is usually hot to the touch for another 3-5 minutes.

I had one knife that I made probably 30 sheaths with. It is still as hard as it ever was and is used regularly with no signs of Heat Treat degredation.

I hope this helps a little since it would be easy to compare the above process to soaking in hot water. It would be rare that water would have that high of a temperature for that extent of time.

Take care

 

[Mike Hull]

Water boils at 212 deg.,f.,most blade steel, will be tempered at 350 to 900 ded.,f.,depending on the type.It wont hurt the temper, but sitting in water is sure not good for handles.

 

[Walt2]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't think the water would bother the temper but I wanted some input on the subject.