Stainless steel for newbies

R

Rui Pereira

Joined
Dec 17, 2017
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6
Wich stainless steel do you recommend to start working with stainless steel?
I already have a homemade HT kiln with PID controller.
 
what temp does your kiln go up to? also can you cryo? these may depend which steels you still cant do if any. I hear AEB-L is a good starter so that's whats heading my way now.. Also got some S35VN..
 
AEB-L very reasonable does not require Cryogenics Treatment (although Dry Ice/Alcohol slurry will bump RC hardness) Finishes easy can be ground Post Heat Treat on thin kitchen knives.
 
A second vote for AEB-L for SS work. Your kiln needs to hold 1975F for SS work. While Dry Ice slurry is best, putting quenched blade in freezer at -5F helps. My vote for AEB-L is based on cost - less than half of S35V SS.
 
Powder type steels , like the CPM types , will be more costly so keep to the simple ones . VG-10 and similar 690 are very good but choice also depends on type of knife. 440 A gives the best performance but 440- B will do well also. Look at 154CM for a good choice. Make sure your furnace will handle the temperature well
 
Maineiac1 said:
what temp does your kiln go up to? also can you cryo? these may depend which steels you still cant do if any. I hear AEB-L is a good starter so that's whats heading my way now.. Also got some S35VN..
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In theory My PID and thermocouple can go over 1200ºC. I've already made a test that reached 1100ºC.
I want to avoid cryogenic threatment because i do not have the equipment for it.
 
mete said:
Powder type steels , like the CPM types , will be more costly so keep to the simple ones . VG-10 and similar 690 are very good but choice also depends on type of knife. 440 A gives the best performance but 440- B will do well also. Look at 154CM for a good choice. Make sure your furnace will handle the temperature well
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I think will will not need to worry about the furnace/kiln. As I told in a previous post I want to avoid cryogenic threatment, if possible I would prefer a stainless steel that can be quenched in oil.
 
Stromberg Knives said:
I don't know where you're located. But if you're here in Europe, I would recommend 14C28N, which is available in a lot of dimensions at a pretty low cost. And it's pretty easy to heat treat and I like its performance.

https://www.materials.sandvik/en/pr...ife-steel/hardening-guide/hardening-programs/
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Yes, I'm in Europe. I'm from Portugal.
14C28 seems interesting because even If I decide to cool it to -20ºC, it can be done in a domestic chiller. Have you ever done it?
 
Before you get to far ahead on selecting a Stainless Steel you need to research the heat treating process for High alloy steels. Due to the high heat and long soak times you will need to wrap the blade in a High Temperature Stainless foil pouch to protect it. This is the most common practice for most hobby knife makers. The other process involves plumbing a Inert Gas such as Argon or Nitrogen to purge oxygen from the furnace a costly expense for most beginners.

Quenching in oil is a recipe for disaster since you would have to remove the blade from the foil pouch first. The common practice is to keep the blade in the pouch and utilize Aluminum quench plates usually one inch thick and of course wide and long enough to sufficiently cover your largest blades. Using quench plates will require a little pressure to ensure even contact with the blade to eliminate warping...I've heard of people standing on the plates I use a press. The blades cool quickly and the plates don't retain heat for very long. These are thing you need to research to be prepared for stainless.
 
SS foil to wrap blade and a set of aluminum plates are almost required for Stainless Steel work - really helps prevent warping. While inert gas purge works just fine, most of us don't have the system so use a SS foil.

Yes, your -20C (-4F) chiller will do good, not as good as dry ice slurry at -70C (-95F), but certainly will be better than no cold quench.
 
I read somewhere that these particular stainless steels will actually perform ok with heat treat and a couple of tempers to bring down the brittleness. However to gain the best performance (Which is why WE as knifemakers do this) follow some Guidelines prescribed by the steel manufacturer such as Cryogenic Treatment or Dry Ice Slurry to bring out the best performance in the steel...Other wise what is the point of taking the time to make a SO-SO questionable hardened blade. If you intend to sell your Knives it's best to take all the best practices and use them and know you are producing a Better Quality Blade not cut corners because it's convenient.
 
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