Question @ HT 01 Tool

D

dax51

Joined
Dec 9, 2009
Messages
65
After HT do I really need to be re-sanding and polishing blades before tempering ... and how long after HT should they be tempered?
The reason I ask is I usually HT 1 blade at a time, take it into the shop and really clean it up down to a fine grit before tempering. After the first tempering cycle I repeat the clean up process before the second temper. Very time consuming.

This time I have 6 blades to do and I would like to do them all at once.

Thanks
Dave
 
Last edited:
I dont like for mine to get cold, (below 100* or so) before tempering them. And you dont have to clean them up before or between cycles. Just adds extra work for you.

Rusty
 
As Rust said, there's no reason to clean the blade prior to tempering. In fact, with many steels, it can cause microcracks or catastrophic failure if you wait too long to temper. There is a lot of internal stress within the steel right out of the quench. The temper acts as a controlled release of that stress to prevent brittlness. Heat, quench, (cryo if you're doing it), and temper. Then re-grind or sand your blade. The most I do prior to tempering is a quick wipe down with a wire brush and rag before going in the oven.

--nathan
 
Again great news for me. I have been really cleaning them up before temper so I could really see that deep straw color. However I have been letting them soak at 450 for 2 hours regardless (2 cycles).
 
If you know the temperature, the oxidation colors don't matter. If you are shooting for a certain hardness range, you can "kind-of" use the oxidation colors to get in the ballpark, but the coloration changes with different environmental conditions.

--nathan
 
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