Quenching multiple blades from oven?

[Shipshores]

Just wondering what some of your techniques are for quenching more than one blade. Do you pull one out quench and close the door and wait for the next one to come back up to heat or only do one blade at a time?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Pull the blade and close the door. By the time you have quenched the blade and checked it for straightness, the oven has probably rebounded. Having a friend open and close the oven door for you helps. Even if it took half an hour to do 10 blades, the extra time in the oven won't affect the HT.

 

[Shipshores]

That's how I've been doing it so good to know . That's what I was worried about, the extra time. Thanks

 

[BluntCut MetalWorks]

I used to harden up to 6 blades in a batch (quench 1 blade at a time). Now, I only do at most 3 blades because my prepared blades get optimal result w/i 3-4 minutes window (allows 90 seconds to recover per each oven opening). I think, if your blades have fine spheroidized and or fine pearlite and hypereuctectoid, extra soak time could release too much carbon in solution, which could result in extra RA and higher plate martensite percentage.

 

[butcher_block]

i have loaded as many as 8 small blades (2 tip to tip in foil pack ) pulling 2 packs at a time so 4 knives quenched in plates