sorry another noob question

S

seanystrangle

Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
374
sorry about this but i am trying my hand at heattreating a way a freind told me to (so id stop using his oven so much haha) but im using an old gril with a hole in the bottom and sides for extra airflow but im not sure if im getting it hard enough when i has finishing up after i used the grill it just felt softer im using olive oil as a quench but im not sure what im doing to begin with and my friend isnt much help as he only read about it :( how can i tell if im getting the steel hard enough im using 1095 sorry
thank you
 
1095 is a water/brine hardening steel. I would suggest using 1080 or even 01 if you are using a magnet method with oil as both are more forgiving than 1095 when it comes to the heat treating(1080 more so than 01` from what I have learned). 1095 tends to be a little more picky about HT. With 01 or 1080 you would need to heat the steel to nonmagnetic(about 1425*f) then about 2 shades lighter red(about 1450*f-1500*f)... its hard to explain as far as color, it is just something you learn, but when heating it - once it starts to glow red you need to continuously check it with a magnet until it becomes nonmagnetic then take it a little bit hotter. After this immediately quench(olive oil heated to 100-130*f is fine for 01 and 1080, I used to use a hot piece of mild steel to heat the oil by simply dropping it into the oil before I quenched the blades). If you are going to use 1095 I do believe most guys use a brine solution the salt to water ratio should be high enough to make an egg float. Someone with a lot more experience will be here shortly though...
 
frossbyte said:
1095 is a water/brine hardening steel. I would suggest using 1080 or even 01 if you are using a magnet method with oil as both are more forgiving than 1095 when it comes to the heat treating(1080 more so than 01` from what I have learned). 1095 tends to be a little more picky about HT. With 01 or 1080 you would need to heat the steel to nonmagnetic(about 1425*f) then about 2 shades lighter red(about 1450*f-1500*f)... its hard to explain as far as color, it is just something you learn, but when heating it - once it starts to glow red you need to continuously check it with a magnet until it becomes nonmagnetic then take it a little bit hotter. After this immediately quench(olive oil heated to 100-130*f is fine for 01 and 1080, I used to use a hot piece of mild steel to heat the oil by simply dropping it into the oil before I quenched the blades). If you are going to use 1095 I do believe most guys use a brine solution the salt to water ratio should be high enough to make an egg float. Someone with a lot more experience will be here shortly though...
Click to expand...

oh awesome thank you! i think i may have to swich steels soon.... and with the egg is it in shell or out?
 
in shell, just look up quenching brine in google some good tutorials will pop up. The solution rate is typically about 10% salt to water, or more precisely .89lbs/per gallon of water.
 
I personaly wouldnt ever quench 1095 in any kind of water, brine etc. Use oil, even if you dont have anything but motor oil, water quenching is hit and miss, use oil and you wont have as many problems:)
 
While Mr Strangle is well meaning, he needs to read the stickies at the top... if you want for sure performance, the most important part of the equation next to proper steel choice is proper quench media choice! with 1095 you CAN use brine/water but with a much increased risk of cracking your blade, and making all your hard work for naught. Spend 20 bucks, and get yourself some Houghton 11 second quench oil from McMaster-Carr.com . Now as far as knowing when you've reached the proper temp for quenching, a magnet can lose "stick" at 1-200 degrees BEFORE proper quench temp! A better temp guage is right in your kitchen, pure kosher table salt Pure sodium melts at 1475 F which IS the proper temp to quench 1095 at. Just pour a line about 1/8" tall in the middle of the blade and set on your heat source. Make sure it heats evenly, and when it starts melting fast your at the proper quench temp. If you can hold this temp for about 5 minutes at this temp you'll give it just the right amount of time for the carbides to start getting into solution. Quench and be happy. something you can do to ensure you dont crack in the oil, is to sand to atleast 220 grit preheat-treat. Higher is better (no need to go over 400 grit though) I take mine to 320 on a regular basis and have never cracked a blade at that grit.

Jason
 
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