Overheating and heat treat?

[PIndelicato]

I've read lots and lots of warnings about overheating a blade during HT, and that it is a common newbie mistake. However, I don't remember reading much about what the resulting side effects are of doing so.

What are the characteristics of a knife that was overheated?

-more prone to cracking or warpage during quench?
-post HT appearance (pitting, little circles, etc.)?
-lower than optimal hardness?
-poor edge holding?
-brittleness or more prone to breakage?
-???

Thanks for any input!

 

[Troop]

Yup. That just about covers it.

 

[Don Hanson III]

Ya answered your own question....

 

[PIndelicato]

Thank you, sirs!

 

[scottickes]

and........it wastes gas and time

 

[LRB]

All true. Except for the lower hardness. It may be at a good hardness, but the grain could be in a mess. However, you don't want it under heated either. You need to research the heat range for the steel you are working with, and go from there.