Normalizing W2

flatblackcapo

flatblackcapo

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Mar 25, 2012
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I am is the process of normalizing some W2. It is in forged bar form. It has some bow to the bars and I was hoping that by laying it flat on the floor of my HT oven , I might accomplish two things. 1) straightening the bow 2) normalizing.
My question is , is it ok to leave the steel in the oven with the door shut until it cools to room temp? I figured if I opened the door it would cool faster but the portion closest to the door would cool faster and it would probably warp again.
Does it sound like I am on the right track ?
 
Just normailize it , all that's needed .Then if necessary straighten. That's all.

Normalize means air cool . Cooling in the oven can cause problems .
 
Unless its badly warped do the straightening after the blade is profiled. If the warp doesn't interfere with your grinding continue on.
 
mete said:
Just normailize it , all that's needed .Then if necessary straighten. That's all.

Normalize means air cool . Cooling in the oven can cause problems .
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Oops, I all ready did it. The oven has cooled to 600* F . what would you suggest I do now?

Unless its badly warped do the straightening after the blade is profiled. If the warp doesn't interfere with your grinding continue on.
Click to expand...
Thanks Fred. If I can't get it straight I will go with this method.
 
600 F ? just take it out. Any damage would have been done at just below critical. Too long at that temperature will produce a brittle blade.
 
Listen to Mete!

Also, too much time in the oven can also cause decarb, but usually not a problem if it's not ground yet.
 
Thanks for your replies guys. I did some reading this morning and now realize why leaving it in the oven to cool slowly was a bad idea.
Mete & Don , just to be clear, I did not hold at 600*F. That is just were it was in its drop of temp at the time of post.
The good news is, it did straighten out enough for me to grind my blade. I am thinking I might need to anneal before grinding. That is what I should have done in the first place,I guess.
Thanks again!
 
I've found no need to anneal W2, just 2 or 3 normalizing cycles after forging.
I straighten with a hammer on the anvil when needed, before heat treating.
 
I really need to get a really nice old beautiful anvil....at least that is what I am telling the wife. It will go somethin' like this, " Honey, Don Hanson said that the only way to ever reeeealy get that W2 straight is to get a really really nice antique anvil.The bigger the better,he said " haha :D
I tried to bend the bar straight using my full weight.It did not budge at all but it is almost .250 thick. :D
I will re-normalize before and after grinding.
 
Folks like Mr. Cashen would tell you that you can create more problems than you solve by trying to anneal hypereutectoid steel like W2 in the home shop environment. As far as AFTER grinding, doing a sub critical stress relief has worked well for me.
 
Thanks, Joe. I definitely have much research to do before I do the heat treating. I have enough W2 that I can do some testing before I do the actual blade.
 
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