Safe temperature to roast a Ratmandu at?

uyotg

uyotg

Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
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Hi all, I'm getting my first Swamp Rat soon, a Ratmandu, but it's been stripped of everything and is unfinished. I'm going to finish it myself and was considering a baked enamel paint coating. Keeping in mind that I know not the first thing about metallurgy, would 200 degrees F for half an hour compromise the heat treating of the steel at all? Perhaps I should go with a lower temperature for a longer time? Or perhaps do nothing?

Thanks :cool: I'm already into INFI and this is my first trip into the swamp.

Mmm... roasted rat.
 
I'm not sure what temperature you need to do a bake but 200 F won't affect the heat treatment. Take a look at the drawing below for regular steel. 738 C is the lowest temperature you'll get a phase change at. Alloy steel will have different properties but it won't be that far off.

http://www.calphad.com/iron-carbon.html
 
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I've taken a class on heat treatment before and I really enjoyed it. I'd like to get into knife making in the future just because I find heat treatment so interesting. I edited my post to say that alloy steel will be different but there's no way that INFI (or any other steel will phase change at 260 C).
 
I would STRONGLY suggest you simply contact Swamp Rat knives and ask them before you do that . They of all people would be more than willing to help you and let you know how you could refinish the knife safely . Good luck , that's a great knife you got .


HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
Mike-The-Knife said:
I would STRONGLY suggest you simply contact Swamp Rat knives and ask them before you do that . They of all people would be more than willing to help you and let you know how you could refinish the knife safely . Good luck , that's a great knife you got .


HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike. I got no bites asking for coating advice in another forum. Funny I didn't even consider this... I'll call later.
 
Glad I could help Gary . As Fireman said , it would be nice if you post what information you get from Swamp Rat for the rest of us to read . Always great to share info . Oh , AND we'll want to see pics of that knife of your's once you're done :D


HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
Cool, didn't know there was this much interest in it :) (well, two people). Now that I think of it I haven't seen any knife mods here that coated the blade. Most people just strip and maybe give it a patina.

I worded my question oddly so I didn't get any conclusive answers on the thread's topic. At first Eric recommended a patina, but photographic documentation of patinas is so poor, even on the Internet, so I don't know what I'd be getting.

I followed up asking whether curing a coating on it would affect the health of the heat treatment:
1. 300F would most likely not harm it
2. Try to avoid heat at all if possible
3. He'll check with the shop for more definite answers if they aren't too busy

:thumbup: So good so far. I already went ahead and bought some KG Coating. Supposedly they are really durable for a firearms coating, and they're used on some knives as well. However, just as I wanted, the coating ends up more like a plating aesthetically than a thick layer of paint, so I'd need to get the blade sandblasted as pretreatment; a simple scratching or primer won't do. I have absolutely no means to do that in my small NYC apartment :o

The knife arrived yesterday with a sharpened swedge and I already started some work on it. I'll take pictures and show you all the stages of the knife during its modification in a separate, later thread.
 
KalEl said:
Glad to hear you got the RMD! I'm executed to see your mods.
Click to expand...

Hope you're not too executed :p
I was gonna hold off telling you until I finished the modification, but I guess you caught me first. So there you go, I got the knife safe and sound. Thanks again :)

InquisitorLord said:
Post up them pics bro..
Click to expand...

Will do when I get home from work... or at least what I've got done so far.
 
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