How to heat treat Sandvik 13C26

[Knifemaker87]

okay here's the deal.
i got some samples of Sandvik 13C26 steel from Admiral steel at Blade show. can i heat treat it in my forge like carbon steel? i have the table of how hot and how long and such. but do you quench stainless? how is this done? how expenisive is it to ahve it heat treated by someone else?
thanks so much!
~Chris

 

[me2]

The heat treating directions are on their website. I dont know of many that try HT stainless in their forges, but I'm sure someone has done it. Texas Knifemaker Supply will do it for $5-$10/blade or so, depending on size. I dont know how much control you have over what they do, though I would think they would follow manufacturer specs. Larger HT companies will do it, and for a large enough order it can be cheaper than TKS. Do you have enough to try one you did in the forge and one sent to TKS, then compare and report here?

Edited to add: most stainless will air harden after heating, but some recommend a slow speed oil quench to speed things up and limit formation of carbides during slow (air) cooling.

 

[Jared Stenoien]

Stainless usually requires long soaks at exact temperatures, extremely hard to do with a forge. That's why most people use ovens.

 

[Knifemaker87]

i got a pamphlet with the steel and it gave the adress for a couple companies that would do it to spec. i will email them ang report back on prices. i got three pieces of the steel so i shall do what i can. this is my first experience with stainless and while i dont think that i will buy it i might as well use what i got for free and i looks like really good stuff.
thanks!
~Chris

 

[Danbo]

I snagged a few pieces of that steel myself. I'm planning on grinding out as many blades as I can, and then sending them straight to Paul Bos. I believe it's pretty good steel, and I want to get the most out of it.