Newbie heat treating advice requested

double gun

double gun

Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
110
Steel is cpm154

I’m a hobbyist who makes a small batch of knives every so often when the urge hits me - so I’ve always sent my knives out for heat treat. The last batch of blades recently came back and one had had a warp in the tang (first time this has happened to me), too much to grind out. So with nothing really to lose, I applied heat stop paste on the blade, and clamped it between two aluminum bars in the vise. I heated the bend and straightened the warp. The blade stayed perfectly cool, and I was happy. But now I’m worried the spot I heated up will be brittle. Ive sent a message to the heat treater I used but haven’t heard back yet.

So my questions are:
- would that spot now be brittle? (I just let it cool at room temp)
- I read cpm154 can be tempered at as low as 400 degrees for two cycles of 2 hours each. So if I did that, would that help? Would that change the hardness of the rest of the blade?


Anyways, I appreciate any advice
DG
 
It would be softer, not more brittle.


Nah, like you said, you didn't heat up the blade so no harm done.

Don't temper it.






double gun said:
Steel is cpm154

I’m a hobbyist who makes a small batch of knives every so often when the urge hits me - so I’ve always sent my knives out for heat treat. The last batch of blades recently came back and one had had a warp in the tang (first time this has happened to me), too much to grind out. So with nothing really to lose, I applied heat stop paste on the blade, and clamped it between two aluminum bars in the vise. I heated the bend and straightened the warp. The blade stayed perfectly cool, and I was happy. But now I’m worried the spot I heated up will be brittle. Ive sent a message to the heat treater I used but haven’t heard back yet.

So my questions are:
- would that spot now be brittle? (I just let it cool at room temp)
- I read cpm154 can be tempered at as low as 400 degrees for two cycles of 2 hours each. So if I did that, would that help? Would that change the hardness of the rest of the blade?


Anyways, I appreciate any advice
DG
Click to expand...
 
Thanks gentlemen, I thought cpm154 was air hardening - so I was confused and thought it may have gotten harder in the heated area.
 
What part of Alberta are you from? There might be someone in your area who can help. I don’t heat treat, because I have a great one nearby, just North of Edmonton.
 
It is air hardening, but you have to reach a high temperature for transformation to a phase that it will harden from,1900-2000f is the typical Austenitizing range and it needs a soak time at those temps otherwise it may not fully harden from air cooling from those tempertures.

So unless you got that tang glowing like the sun, your good.


double gun said:
Thanks gentlemen, I thought cpm154 was air hardening - so I was confused and thought it may have gotten harder in the heated area.
Click to expand...
 
kdnolin said:
What part of Alberta are you from? There might be someone in your area who can help. I don’t heat treat, because I have a great one nearby, just North of Edmonton.
Click to expand...

I too am north of Edmonton, so I would love to hear who you are using.


DeadboxHero said:
It is air hardening, but you have to reach a high temperature for transformation to a phase that it will harden from,1900-2000f is the typical Austenitizing range and it needs a soak time at those temps otherwise it may not fully harden from air cooling from those tempertures.

So unless you got that tang glowing like the sun, your good.
Click to expand...

Thank you, that makes me very happy to hear.
 
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