Normalizing carbon steel in a forge

[Greenberg Woods]

Hey guys, there has been a lot of talk about HT lately, a lot of it focusing on the fact that Aldos steel is spherioid annealed and must be normalized before quenching. The advice has been 3 cycles with soaks of roughly 20 minutes.

I don't have a HTing oven, and can't hold a specific temperature for 20 minutes, though I do have reasonable forge control. Can this normalinaction be done in the forge or after normal forging? Is it hopeless to try?

Have a good one,

Ben Greenberg
Greenberg Woods

 

[E.Carlson]

Stacy gave us a great tutorial this morning after I asked the same question. Seems to be the hot topic of the weekend!
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1395570-Thermal-cycling-with-a-forge

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I know someone will ask, so I will address it here:

Folks will notice I regularly post about cycling steel and the exact temperatures and soak times. This is the metallurgist's method.

Other times, as in the recent requests for advice, I will tell how to heat the steel in a forge and judge by eye for a normalization. This is the practical bladesmith's method.

One isn't right and the other isn't wrong .. they are just the opposing ends of a HT rainbow.

Use the best methods for the equipment you have. If it is a 2BF, then your abilities are pretty limited. If it is a programmable HT oven, you should be getting perfect results (assuming it is programmed right and temperatures are accurate). Most makers are somewhere between the two extremes.

What is important is understanding what is happening in the steel when you are doing various process. If you know the goal and the process, you can make some type of workaround for most any equipment level.

That is why I try to give my understanding on the metallurgy of what is happening. I greatly appreciate those with far more experience adding to this, as well as correction or augmenting what I said.

 

[Shipshores]

When I forged a lot I used 1084 and always normalized by eye and had good results. Now I do more stock removal and have a kiln and before Stacy informed me I didn't normalize because I didn't think it was needed for stock removal. I now know better and it makes a huge difference.