Regarding the underestimated importance of heat-treatment

[koolstof]

Yes, I do put exceptional attention in blade steel because I feel it is a trait that even I can verify. I can really accept that any kind of steel needs an appropriate heat-treatment to let it really "shine".

But I feel that the manufacturer, be it custom or factory can make the wildest claim possible regarding heat-treatment, I really have now option than take his word for it as I lack the experience to evaluate a knife. My momentary failure to appreciate quality should not mean I have to settle with crap right know, the only difference between now and somewhere in the future is that my experience will make more unlikely to get cheated. Yes, my current ability to form an oppinion of my own is very limited but rest assured... I am a quick learner and you can bet your sweetass that someday I will be able to make a sound judgement. Because I am know easier to cheat should not mean I should tolerate anything less then I have payed for... I have to say that most of the knifemaking folk seem rather truthfull and more than willing to do fair business. If when I ever reach substantial maturity towards knife and I find out that somebody wanted to take advantage of my lack of knowledge and experience, then I will everyone will hear from it... I suppose that by now it is already clear that i can generate lots of noise

But to stay focussed, how do I recognize a well heat-treated blade when I see it ( I doubt that this can be done by annyone with the naked eye and that for the average owner only experience can make you wiser). i do recognize the crucial importance of a suitable heat-treatment, anything you deem fit to tell me in that matter is welcome!

Another one of my worries, heat-treatment seems to leave quite a lot margin for error and almost never produces just the right batch. How can you tell they screwed up your blade and can you always just return it for a proper copy?

Heat-treatment should be demistified or perhaps it is just silly old me. But if I'm not mistaken this is an issue that will interest many.

 

[Knife Outlet]

I'll try to keep it simple. Heat treating is basically a set of processes that develop a level of hardness in steels that have sufficient carbon in the alloy. How hard should a blade be? That depends on the application. A pocket knife might benefit from a harder blade to allow a sharper edge and more edge retention. A camp knife might benefit from a softer blade to provide more toughness so the blade could pry and chop with less chance of failure than a harder blade. So the right amount of hardness depends on the application and, like my response to your other post, I'd let the manufacturer's choice be your guide. They will normally (but not always) treat the blade to the best level of hardness for the intended application.

How do you know if the manufacturer did the heat treatment competently? The only sure way is to use the equipment necessary to measure hardness, measure it and compare it to the specification. Lacking that you can compare the blade to a blade of known hardness and similar edge geometry in use tests. Lacking that, experience will help over time. Hard blades are harder to sharpen. They require more effort to restore than a softer blade in similar condition. You'll get a feel for the hardness of blade when you sharpen it quite easily with experience. It won't tell you what the actual hardness of the blade is. But it will point out a blade that was obviously heat treated improperly. So if that's close enough for you, then relax and gain some experience.

Incidentally, I've sold nearly 200,000 knives over the years and never had one returned because of incompetent heat treatment. Lucky? Perhaps. I don't know. But returns for all defects combined (mostly cosmetic) are significantly lower than 1%. The quality control at the manufacturers isn't perfect but it's very good. So buy good quality products and stop worrying.