Need help with straightening twisted AEB-L steel

K

Keanen

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Nov 21, 2024
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Hi, I purchased some AEB-L from Pop's and it arrived very twisted and rippled. I was able to straighten it pretty well before heat treating, but it still wasn't perfect. I air quenched it between two aluminum places in a woodworker's vice and it still developed a warp/twist. I have been trying to straighten it with a carbide hammer without luck because there are so many twists and warps that it is hard to get straight.

Do you have any advice on how to get it straightened? And, do you have any suggestions for other vendors that I could try getting AEB-L from that would ship straighter steel? I believe that steel was bent in shipping, because I ordered A2 steel that was precision ground and was bound to the AEB-L and it was also twisted along with it.

Thanks for any help you can offer!
Keanen
 
Two suggestions. I would contact Pop's assuming they'll make it right. Alpha is a good source for precision ground stock if they have the size you need (they tend to cut them up pretty small).
 
With AEB-L I always run a stress relieving step before austenitizing. Really helps out with the warp. Does not help you now but something to keep in mind.

Also probably best for you to stick with steel from AKS until you have a better grasp on your heat treat.
 
It's a good idea when you buy steel to buy like ten pieces at the same time. That way they can be taped together and won't be easily bent in shipping.
 
Richard338 said:
Two suggestions. I would contact Pop's assuming they'll make it right. Alpha is a good source for precision ground stock if they have the size you need (they tend to cut them up pretty small).
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Thanks. I feel bad because I'm pretty certain it wasn't their fault, but I'll reach out to them still. I will try Alpha when it comes to ordering again. Thank you
 
Seedy Lot said:
With AEB-L I always run a stress relieving step before austenitizing. Really helps out with the warp. Does not help you now but something to keep in mind.

Also probably best for you to stick with steel from AKS until you have a better grasp on your heat treat.
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I'll keep that in mind if I run into that problem again. I keep hearing to go with Alpha, so I will definitely go that way next time I order. Is there anything that I can do at this point with the steel? Thank you
 
Tom Lewis said:
It's a good idea when you buy steel to buy like ten pieces at the same time. That way they can be taped together and won't be easily bent in shipping.
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That makes sense. I usually do small orders since I only work on our farm after school and I don't make a lot of money! I think I'll try alpha next time and smaller bars too. Thank you!
 
Richard338 said:
Two suggestions. I would contact Pop's assuming they'll make it right. Alpha is a good source for precision ground stock if they have the size you need (they tend to cut them up pretty small).
Click to expand...
Do you have any suggestions on how I can straighten the blades at this point or is it too late?
 
many of us are using carbide hammers to straighten our blanks after heat treat. They aren't cheap but they work great!

You can get away with using a carbide tipped masonry bit and hammer.

Here is a video by K H Daily knives explaining how the process works. Good luck!
 
Keanen said:
I'll keep that in mind if I run into that problem again. I keep hearing to go with Alpha, so I will definitely go that way next time I order. Is there anything that I can do at this point with the steel? Thank you
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I run a stress releiving step on all steels now and have very little warp issues. Did a batch of 50 AEB-L and only had to use carbide hammer on one of them. This is with all thinner stock and bevels unground.

I don't know how to straighten twists.
 
Yep, twists are the problem it sounds like. Only thing I could think of would be to soak at 1750°F (maybe even more?) then clamp tight between 1" aluminum plates in a vise. You've already tried that and it didn't work so I don't know. Twists are hard - simple bends are simple {g}.

BTW, that video linked above is a very good video on using a carbide hammer.
 
Straightening hammers are super easy to make. 3/8" carbide ball bearing, use a glass spade drill bit to drill into the hammer head. Or take a carbide drill bit, drill into the hammer head, smack the flutes off and regrind the end of the knife into the shape you want (round it out or do an oval) and stick it into the hole it drilled into the hammer head.
 
Cypress replied that they "aren't cheap", but that's not true. I built 2 for under $40 and about 5 minutes each. They sell for $80-100+ from the ones I have seen! Ball pein hammer, carbide ball or a carbide drill bit and around 5-10 minutes to drill and shape if needed.

The twist is what makes it harder. I wonder if an oval or rectangular shaped carbide hammer would help with better directional control to stretch the material differently?
 
Taz said:
The twist is what makes it harder. I wonder if an oval or rectangular shaped carbide hammer would help with better directional control to stretch the material differently?
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I don't know if a different shaped hammer makes any difference in material displacement that you can't already control by your strike concentration and placement.
 
Yeah, thats what I wasn't sure of? I was thinking like a rounding hammer face forces the steel in all directions versus a pein is more of a 2 directional force. Best bet would be to re heat treat it with a stress relieving cycle, clamp in plates and then temper in plates as well? AEB-L can be nasty warpage wise!
 
Taz said:
I was thinking like a rounding hammer face forces the steel in all directions versus a pein is more of a 2 directional force
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Agreed. I just think that a single hammer of either shape can do the entire job, they will just both call for different strike patterns to accommodate the shape. I only have a carbide ball hammer I got from Housemade, but I have been able to straighten everything so far, except for the very worst warped AEB-L machete blank I got back from Peters' (though most of what they send me is straight). It's not actually bad enough to affect function or structural integrity, just a bit noticeable if I'm looking for it. Which was enough excuse to keep it for myself. ;)
 
Looks like i didn't read the original post thoroughly enough. I missed the part about OP using a carbide hammer already. I have used my carbine hammer to successfully remove warps and minor twists. Twists are a bit trickier than warps, but the prices is essentially the same.

If the twists are more severe you could surface grind them out, but you will lose a lot of your stock thickness.

I would anneal the steel, straighten, stress relieve, austenitize, then quench. It don't have a good anneal process for AEBL but I'm sure someone does
 
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