How hot should i temper my blade?

E

Eric Juen

Joined
Nov 2, 2017
Messages
3
I built a knive from an old saw blade.
It has most likely lost all of its tempering, so i decited to heat treat it in an old wood fire till it was glowing and quenched it in water.
Right now it is hard and will shatter easily.
Now, my question is: How hot should i temper the blade, and for how long do i keep it there?
Are there any steps i forgot about? (I am new to knive making)
I only have an ovenment, so i should be able to regulate the temperature fairly well.
 
Unfortunately most wood fires are not likely to get hot enough to actually harden the knife (it may not be fully martenistic).

How do you know the blade met the Curry temperature (at a minimum), magnet?

How did you quench the blade?
Water or oil

What temperature was your quench medium?

As far as tempering goes, you can buy a cheap used toaster oven and use a meat thermometer to check the temp. Keep it around 415°f or so.
 
Last edited:
I checked it was hot enough with a magnet which would not stick because it was that hot.
I quenched it in water at room temperature.
What is the difference betueen quenching in water and oil?
And what oil could i use next time?
 
Some alloys have a tendency to crack in water since the shock and the cooling is too fast/violent.

Your best bet would be to pick up an inexpensive bar of 1084 and a few gllons of canola oil and heat that to 130° prior to quenching.

To heat your oil, use a bar of low carbon from a home improvement store heated in your forge. Use your meat thermometer to check the temp.
 
Eric Juen said:
I built a knive from an old saw blade.
It has most likely lost all of its tempering, so i decited to heat treat it in an old wood fire till it was glowing and quenched it in water.
Right now it is hard and will shatter easily.
Now, my question is: How hot should i temper the blade, and for how long do i keep it there?
Are there any steps i forgot about? (I am new to knive making)
I only have an ovenment, so i should be able to regulate the temperature fairly well.
Click to expand...

Well you could start with what the old Japanese hand tool woodworking masters used to do if they found their edges to be just a sukoshi chippy : Put it on top of a tin roof on a very hot day. :cool: :thumbsup:
I'm only kidding a little bit; they actually did that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top