Spheroidizing followed by normalizing ?????

[Fred.Rowe]

I forge all the blades I make. I have a digital gas oven and have gotten into the habit of spheroidizing, before grinding. Saves belts!:thumbup:
On the less complex steels, I start with a pbc coating, then the clay over the pbc as a hardening process.
Once I get the pbc applied [6 or 7 hundred degrees], I normalize three times in succession, just letting the blade cool to "quick hand, touch" temperature, between cycles. I them let the blades, air cool, apply the clay and harden.
I started doing this with W2 steel, when I was making some long clip points. It stopped the warp, that I had been getting, upon quenching, the blades.
Over the last week, I forged both W2 and 52100 steels into matching blades.
I used the above techniques to process both steels.
Will the 52100 get the same benifits that the W2, appears to get, from the normalizing cycles?
Do you think this many cycles is overkill, no matter what the steel used?

Some input please, Fred

 

[Fred.Rowe]

bttt

 

[LRB]

If I recall correctly, Kevin, and Mete' recommend three cycles of normalizing. The third is more, or less, insurance. Beyond three cycles is wasted effort. But spherodizing anneals, need a good soak to homogenize, and evenly distribute the spheroidal carbons. I think Kevin recommended a five minute soak for the first cycle, possibly more, then just go to your chosen heat for the next two. Then soak well before quench. I do remember that spheroidized carbon needs more soak to go to solution. That is all I know, if that is even correct.

 

[Don Hanson III]

I don't want to contradict the experts but for W2, what you are doing sounds good to me.

No comment on the 52100.

 

[mete]

Do the same for both ,after all they have about the same carbon content..... Spheroidized does require somewhat more soak but that depends on large or small spheres. Spheroidize anneal [austenitize slow cool] gives large spheres but a subcritical anneal ,my choice, would give small spheres [starting with martensite then 1200 F temper ].