Machete heat treat questions

[tallwingedgoat]

I'm going to send a machete blade away for heat-treat, can anyone tell me what is a good target Rockwell hardness for a machete?

I don't have the skills or tools to make a real knife, so I'm going to cut a 18" blade out of either 1084 or 15N20 steel, about 2-3mm thick.

 

[Chiro75]

I have one of Ross Aki's ATS-34 machetes and it is AWESOME! I don't know how he heat treats it, but he has worked very hard to make ATS-34 do things that very few people would believe can be done. Typically, though, a machete will be on the soft side for easy resharpening as well as springiness. You can see Ross' webpage at: http://www.macheteman.com
The one I have is 1/16" thick stock, and the whole thing is full-thickness except for about 1/4" where the edge is actually formed. That seems like a pretty economical way to do it, especially if you are working with files and that sort of thing.

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[Cliff Stamp]

Matt Lamey works in plain carbon steels for blades including large working bowiews, drop him an email : RMLAMEY@aol.com and get his perspective on how it should be heat treated.


-Cliff

 

[tallwingedgoat]

Thanks, I'm being told the mid to high 40s HRc is best for the work machetes do. This strikes me as a bit too soft, but I guess leaves aren't that tough.