How to tell good heat treat question

M

MilliePop

Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
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Everyone says "As with any steel, the heat treat means more than the type of steel. "

But how does one tell if a steel has been properly treated or tempered without totally demolishing the blade?

Will one have to rely soley on the reputation of the bladesmith's skill with a certain type of steel or other? Because I've been told it takes some time to master the heat treat of any type of steel?
 
Calling Kevin Cashen!!!

I don't know a lot, so I'll just say what I've picked up over the months that I've been on this forum.

The file test can tell whether a blade is harder than the file, and if it's hard over the entire length. Rockwell testing would provide a much more accurate description of whether or not the HT worked, and what the temper did to it.

And you can only tell the grain size (smaller is better) by breaking the blade, I believe?
 
Millie
There are basically two schools of thought on heat treating that I have run into
1. Wing it. Get the steel hot and when it becomes non-magnetic, dunk it in used motor oil, or whatever you have available then throw it in the oven on 400 for 2 hours twice. Then hope the heat treat fairies sprinkle magic fairy dust on it.:) I dont mean to be a smartass but that is what alot of people seem to do. I can say this because that is how I first started. The problem was there was no way for me to get consistent, repeatable results. So....

2. Study and Invest time. There are some really good stickies written by Kevin Cashen on the site. Read them and re-read them until they start to make sense. I can only speak from my own experience, but once I began to understand what is going on in the steel is when I started getting results. I started keeping a written log of my process, what worked and didnt, over time I got a process for each steel I used. Then I began to get repeatable results.
Also I suggest you test blades to destruction, this has helped me a great deal.
3. Send out for HT. There are several people that do a fine job.

Just my $.02
 
I don't think MilliePop is talking about HT'ing his own. That's a whole different story. It seems he's curious if his knives are well-made.

Use it the way it was designed to be used. See how long it takes to get dull, then sharpen it. For most users, that's all they need to know.
 
I don't think MilliePop is talking about HT'ing his own. That's a whole different story. It seems he's curious if his knives are well-made.

Use it the way it was designed to be used. See how long it takes to get dull, then sharpen it. For most users, that's all they need to know.
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Sorry for the confusion. I shoulda realized that posting on the maker's forum everyone will think I was referring to forging blades myself. No...I'm talking about when you buy a knife.

I was asking about a certain type of steel for a certain task a nd someone said "As with any steel, the heat treat means more than the type of steel. "

Well, I was just wondering how I would be able to tell how good something is when I couldn't see it. And even if I could, I wouldn't know what to look for.
 
James_Terrio said:
I don't think MilliePop is talking about HT'ing his own. That's a whole different story. It seems he's curious if his knives are well-made.

Use it the way it was designed to be used. See how long it takes to get dull, then sharpen it. For most users, that's all they need to know.
Click to expand...

My mistake.:o
I agree.
 
go mike said:
Calling Kevin Cashen!!!

I don't know a lot, so I'll just say what I've picked up over the months that I've been on this forum.

The file test can tell whether a blade is harder than the file, and if it's hard over the entire length. Rockwell testing would provide a much more accurate description of whether or not the HT worked, and what the temper did to it.

And you can only tell the grain size (smaller is better) by breaking the blade, I believe?
Click to expand...

Nevermind, I thought you too were saying that you were testing YOUR HT without destroying the blade. I agree with James in saying that with a purchased knife, the best way to test is through use for the knife design. (Don't use a fillet knife as an axe)
 
Do you have a particular knife in mind? Chances are, if you've heard of it you can find a review on it here.
 
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