?knife blade seems rrigidity

C

crank78

Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Messages
336
First file knife came out realky well as far as being a functional knife. Not the prettiest but works really well. The second however seems the edge is rigid. Like maybe it has soft and hard spots.

I know files are kind of a mystery steel but its all i could get at the time.

Would post pics i could figure out how.
 
How did you make the knife out of the file? Did you forge it? Anneal it first? Stock removal? How did you heat treat it? Any stress removal steps?

Also, what brand of file, and where was it manufactured?
 
I annealed it to non magnetic then oil quenched it. it was a Nicholson. maybe I should temper it a couple more cycles. I only done one 1 hour cycle at 425.
 
Nicholson files are supposed to be 1095.
Blades usually are quenched from about 75 F above the non-magnetic point.
Some quench in water though that's risky, otherwise use a fast oil.
Temper should be 2 hours at that's tempering temperature and perhaps two tempers.
 
Yea i quenched in oil. Scared to try the water at that temp lol. Idk maybe ill try another temper. Hopefully it won't warp.
 
Define rigid? Knife edges are supposed to be hard, but not brittle. Tough...They should not have any soft spots. By definition all steel in any condition is rigid if you ask me...

And you 'heated' to non-magnetic, not 'annealed.' Annealing is a process much like normalizing, heat treating and tempering are processes. Using the proper terminology is the only way we will be on the same page to help you.

What is your equipment setup? Forge? Oven? Torch? What kind of oil? What temp did you temper at? How did you check hardness? Etc...

Files aren't 'sort of' mystery steel, they are mystery steel. Unless it is somehow marked. Just judging by your original post, messing with mystery steel and getting a predictable result is probably beyond your skillset at the moment. Use known steel and follow a specified regimen, or have it professionally HT'd.

If it was a Nicholson, it is probably 1095. If so, non magnetic isn't hot enough. You need a shade hotter and a FAST quench. I work a lot of 1095 and found accurate temp control and quick quenching in water was the only way to get repeatable results.

If the edge didn't get hot enough, the body of the blade definitely didn't. The edge is the first part to reach temp. If you have hard and soft spots, another tempering cycle won't help.

Read the stickies... most of your answers can probably be answered there.

Cheers.
 
I am embarrassed to say what the problem was. ty for the help everyone.

you cant fix stupid lol. it was the sharpener I was using. its one of them v shaped deals you pull the blade through. back to the stones for me.
 
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