- Joined
- Jan 21, 2020
- Messages
- 544
So you clicket the bait. Is it the HUGE thing or the metal? Size or data? 
Let's dive into it.
I was trying to treat N360 (LC200N) without cryo. Figured trying with a run to bainite. Quench to dark and oven it at 200°C for 5 hours. It didn't work. Can't get above 40HRC even with a freezer over night.
So why the try at all?
Was reading some papers on Ni and it's slow to diffuse in steel but fast to creep out and because of that it speed up bainite creation. It was a try to kill as much RA as possible so maybe a freezer would be enough before tempering. For low bainite another sped up was Co. From days to hours. That's huge.
So I checked for some N690 in the waste and found a forgotten piece of a half blade. Nice!
So, it got overbaked and quenched in water ( yeah, I know, bear with me) to avoid oily smell in the oven. It got a big warp, but who cares. It's a test for something else. Not to brake it I left it in the oven at 200°C for 3 hours , clamped it for straightness and return it for another two hours. Out of the oven and unclamped it. Banana! It return to the same bend. In the freezer overnight as it was late for tempering.
Morning, temper 2x 1h @120°C. It was 57HRC after and unbreakable. 3.5mm thick, 35mm wide piece. 3 point hammering didn't do anything. Not even a slight bend.
Conclusion:
Low temp bainite is a very interesting thing for knives. Usually it takes days and for some steels weeks to get there. N and Co speeds up things. Co up to 2% are for bainite speed up, it seems like. Nothing else.
Is it possible that in a midrange steel (N690) lies a undiscovered improvement or it's a well kept secret of Italians knife makers?
Sounds like something to test correctly. Watcha thinking
Larrin
?

Let's dive into it.
I was trying to treat N360 (LC200N) without cryo. Figured trying with a run to bainite. Quench to dark and oven it at 200°C for 5 hours. It didn't work. Can't get above 40HRC even with a freezer over night.
So why the try at all?
Was reading some papers on Ni and it's slow to diffuse in steel but fast to creep out and because of that it speed up bainite creation. It was a try to kill as much RA as possible so maybe a freezer would be enough before tempering. For low bainite another sped up was Co. From days to hours. That's huge.
So I checked for some N690 in the waste and found a forgotten piece of a half blade. Nice!
So, it got overbaked and quenched in water ( yeah, I know, bear with me) to avoid oily smell in the oven. It got a big warp, but who cares. It's a test for something else. Not to brake it I left it in the oven at 200°C for 3 hours , clamped it for straightness and return it for another two hours. Out of the oven and unclamped it. Banana! It return to the same bend. In the freezer overnight as it was late for tempering.
Morning, temper 2x 1h @120°C. It was 57HRC after and unbreakable. 3.5mm thick, 35mm wide piece. 3 point hammering didn't do anything. Not even a slight bend.
Conclusion:
Low temp bainite is a very interesting thing for knives. Usually it takes days and for some steels weeks to get there. N and Co speeds up things. Co up to 2% are for bainite speed up, it seems like. Nothing else.
Is it possible that in a midrange steel (N690) lies a undiscovered improvement or it's a well kept secret of Italians knife makers?
Sounds like something to test correctly. Watcha thinking

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