Stainless help

[hanksblades]

hello all, this is my first post. I have been using 01 for a few years now and like the ease of heat treatment with my torch and oil quinch. I do not however like the maintenance it takes to keep knives from rusting. I would like to start using stainless. Is there any form of stainless that i could successfully harden without a forge or kiln. Seams like most of it also needs cryo. Any suggestions and tips for different steel i could use would be great. Thanks

 

[Kevin McGovern]

you won't reach the temperatures needed to successfully heat treat stainless in open air with a torch. The temps needed are around the 2000°F mark. Even a pid controlled forge would have difficulty holding at that high a temp for the soak times typically needed. I was in the same boat as you, so i bit the bullet and built a heat treat oven. I'm not super handy, and my welding is ugly, but it has worked for me for dozens of knives since. All told, I'd say it was under $500, but required a good deal of research and planning to accomplish.

 

[Busto]

Short answer is NO on heat treat without digital controlled furnace due to high heat and time required to soak at those Temps.

AEB-L is a good Stainless Blade Steel and you could send it out for Heat Treatment WAY LESS than the price of a furnace!!! Most of the professional heat treat services would provide a cryogenic treatment to optimize the steel performance they include that in the price of the services.

 

[hanksblades]

you won't reach the temperatures needed to successfully heat treat stainless in open air with a torch. The temps needed are around the 2000°F mark. Even a pid controlled forge would have difficulty holding at that high a temp for the soak times typically needed. I was in the same boat as you, so i bit the bullet and built a heat treat oven. I'm not super handy, and my welding is ugly, but it has worked for me for dozens of knives since. All told, I'd say it was under $500, but required a good deal of research and planning to accomplish.

Thanks, i have been considering a heat treat oven, would i also need nitrogen for stainless? What kind of stainless do you use?

 

[hanksblades]

Short answer is NO on heat treat without digital controlled furnace due to high heat and time required to soak at those Temps.

AEB-L is a good Stainless Blade Steel and you could send it out for Heat Treatment WAY LESS than the price of a furnace!!! Most of the professional heat treat services would provide a cryogenic treatment to optimize the steel performance they include that in the price of the services.

What are some good places to send out to? What is average price and turn around? Thanks

 

[Kevin McGovern]

Thanks, i have been considering a heat treat oven, would i also need nitrogen for stainless? What kind of stainless do you use?

The only stainless i have ever used is AEB-L. It performs well with a sub-zero quench in Dry ice and denatured alcohol, which is what i do as my low volume can't justify the investment in LN.

 

[Busto]

For pricing you can check with "Tru Grit" they are materials providers that also offer the HT services and I won't quote pricing and turn around time since it varies. Also there is Paul Bos Heat Treating again you should call for additional information.

I use various Stainless blade steel depending on they type of knife and customer requests. I really Like AEB_L for thin slicers it performs very well and I do my own heat treating and I have a cryogenic dewar since I work with Stainless that requires that process.

 

[Matthew Gregory]

Not listed in the shopping list of 'usual things you need to heat treat stainless' would be supplies such as heat treating foil to prevent decarb, aluminum quench plates, etc, etc...

Smart guys just send the stuff out to places like Peters Heat Treat.

Dummies like myself love the adventure of throwing money at things and basking in the prestige of our peers and the lavish affection laid upon us by chicks because we do it ourselves.



Hard to beat the experience and controlled capabilities of a professional heat treater. If you want to do it yourself, you have to WANT to do it yourself.

 

[Busto]

Not listed in the shopping list of 'usual things you need to heat treat stainless' would be supplies such as heat treating foil to prevent decarb, aluminum quench plates, etc, etc...

Smart guys just send the stuff out to places like Peters Heat Treat.

Dummies like myself love the adventure of throwing money at things and basking in the prestige of our peers and the lavish affection laid upon us by chicks because we do it ourselves.



Hard to be the experience and controlled capabilities of a professional heat treater. If you want to do it yourself, you have to WANT to do it yourself.

I kinda like the part about the "Chicks" especially if they bring Cold Beer...

All rest of that stuff is merely for distraction of the Side Show...A Home Heat Treat requires misdirection not unlike that used by a Magician to fool the untrained eyes of the observers...

 

[LARRYZ10]

Busto, You can probably forget about getting hot chicks AND cold beer at the same time...unless you are charming and studly like Matthew Gregory. I guess the real stunners hang out at home forges there on the other side of the country. I am jealous if this is the case. Larry P.S. I use Paul Bos heat treat and haven't seen a hottie in months. LL

 

[Busto]

Yeah I hear ya Larry the Sign for Hot Chicks and free cold beer only brings in my Hoodlum Friends...I got the Studly Part but the charming part is out the window.