Just did my first heat treat

hughewil

hughewil

Joined
Apr 12, 2011
Messages
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Aldo's 1084, I have a standing fireplace in my garage and heated it in there. Heated until glowing and not magnetic, then quenhced in canola oil.

it's in the oven now at 450 getting it's first temper cycle. I will let it go for an hour, then let it cool and heat it at 450 for another hour.

Not sure I will have time to finish the edge today or not depending on when the tempering finishes. It is my take on a bird and trout knife and will get bocote scales which I already shaped out, it is a gift for my dad.

Does this sound right? Is two cycles at 450 enough?
 
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With aldo's 1084, 450 won't be bad, just a bit on the softer side of its range but still harder than most factory knives.
An hour each will do it, 2 each is better but I'm not sure you could prove it outside a lab with this stuff.

Assuming it fully, or nearly fully hardened in the quench you should be quite pleased with the end result.
 
I would worry a little about an oil quench with 1080/1084 - do you have a way to confirm that you are hitting your target hardness? [Note: it will still probably be better than some factory knives, but why not shoot for the absolute best?]
 
I have no idea how to tell. It is tempered now, and when I draw a file across it, it feels the same as it does on my store bought knives.
 
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1084 hardens just fine in canola, it's not the absolute best it can get, but other factors will probably play a bigger role in the end result than the oil. I'm not sure how well it would work on thick blades, 1/4" or so, but even then the edge should harden nicely, you just might not get a fully hardened spine and tang. Heck, 1084's cheap, if in doubt, take two identical pieces, heat them together and then toss them in two different quench tanks, one canola one water. I wouldn't go as fast as brine but one of the more guys with more HT expertise can probably give us some info as to the speed limit, so to speak.

I think the temp you reached in the fire is more of a concern. Non magnetic is not quite hot enough, and if it wasn't even... Non magnetic is a benchmark point you work from, not your final temp. Odds are you're fine, unless you were checking constantly you probably overshot the precise point it became non magnetic and 1084 will be "ok" with a little brief overheating like we'd see in this situation.
 
thegeek574 said:
450 is a little high. I usually would aim for 400-425.
Click to expand...

I let Steve know what I am going to post here, but it does not apply just to him.
Steve is a nice guy, but has almost no experience in HT and the few he has done have had some problems.

Steve and others who wish to give advise:
I will be polite but firm. This is not personal toward Steve, but a general comment to the many new makers who post advise on subjects they are inexperienced in.

If you do not know first hand knowledge of a subject, or are not a specialist in that field, please refrain from giving advise . This is especially true when you imply that you are experienced in the subject.
There is no shame in not posting an answer, and letting those who have skills in the topic do the answering.
 
Canola heated to 130 f will get you there, there are better oils, but they cost a lot more (Anyone who has seen my posts in the last year or two knows that I am a Parks convert) do not use water or brine, you will run the risk of "tink". Personally I oven temper Aldo's 1084 at 400, 425 if I know the knife will be used aggressively, and have a bunch of blades out there done this way with no reported edge chipping or blade breakage

-Page
 
It's worth mentioning that you can't believe the dial on your oven or toaster oven. Even after it's settled on a temp, dial setting 400 might be significantly off one way or the other. For example, if I follow Page's formula with my toaster oven and didn't actually check my temp I'd have issues because at dial setting 400 I'm really at 350. You don't have to check every time, but it's important to calibrate your equipment enough to know you're getting consistent results.

Page, thanks for the comments on water and brine. I was curious how sensitive 1084 is to going too fast.
 
Well my first completed knife, it seems to have come out fine and taken a edge. It's my take on a bird and trout model made of 1084 with bocote scales. It's going to my dad, the other knife was made from an old file and is for my mom.

trout001.jpg


trout002.jpg
 
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