PBC powder mess

bikermikearchery

bikermikearchery

Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Messages
1,976
I don't know why I have such a hard time with new stuff. I tried PBC powder today for the first time. Thought that it would make things easer. I did heat treat on 10 knives with PBC powder That stuff melted all over my forge and turned the knives in to a black tar covered mess. I even had 3 of the knives warp. I haven't had a knife warp in years. I reheated the warped knives and did them over. all of them are nice and hard but what a mess. I cant get this stuff off with a wire brush and when I tried to take it off with the belt grinder it clogged the belt on the first knife. any one else have this happen?
 
I have not used any anti scale compounds for three years now. That includes three lbs hammers that require much longer soak times. Got tired of the mess and the burn through spots. I use a very lean hot flame to bring the forge up to heat and then back off the air and increase the gas to make a very dirty flame. This is the last hammer I ht'd right after quenching. No pitting or heat scale after 15 minutes of soak time.

hammerbuild40-web.jpg
 
The residue comes right off with boiling water. It will mess up your oven if you don't protect the floor. I set my blades in fire bricks that I cut slots in. Fire bricks are expendable. I see no way , and have never heard of it causing warpage. Try again, and put your blades in boiling hot water afterwards, and you will see the residue break down, and simply fall away.
 
Yeah what LRB said:thumbup: Additionally, clean the blade VERY well with hot soap and water before you HT. Many times the scale comes almost completely off in the quench, but it always comes completely off (even in the filework) after a dunk in boiling water. Don't use your wife's good pan for this.
Are you laying the blades on the floor of your kiln??? If so DON'T. You will certainly make a mess of the kiln and the coating will not work as well on that side. Someone should have mentioned the boiling water to you..... The stuff is GREAT just give it a chance...If you need to feel free to email if you have more questions. I can't imagine HTing carbon without it.
Matt Doyle
 
I have measured my blades after grinding the decarbed area off and usually only comes to about .006 or so. Scale was never that big of a deal ether. I just thought that PBC was supposed make things easer.
I have a rack I put in the forge that holds the blades edge up. I watched the goo boil and run down in to a puddle. I don't blame the warpage on the PBC, it just shows that when things can go wrong they do.
I have heard of a liquid type anti-scale/decarb any one have any experience with this ?
 
Mike,
I have experience with it and I personally think it sucks! Email me and I'll send you what is left of mine it's that great! There is one person here that has had good luck with it but he is the only one I know of. When I put my PBC blades in at 400 grit finish they come out at 400 grit finish, and almost as shiny as they went in.....Just try it with the boiling water, you'll like it. If you are stilll scared about effing up another knife, just try it on just a scrap piece of steel. I have heard people complain it was a PITA to apply but never that it did not work.
Matt
 
I treated 9 out of 10 blades with the PBC powder. The 9 were O-1 the one I didn't use PBC on is 5160, The 5160 blade is fine. the other 9 look like they have cancer. they are a blackened rough hard mess. I boiled them for a good hour and the stuff wouldn't come off. I have ground it off of one blade. I had them to a 600 grit finish before heat treat. What a mess. From past measurements I normally only found Decarb to run .005 total loss, and scale was never a problem.
 
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