starrett steel does it need normalize?

G

Greg Obach

Joined
Apr 16, 2003
Messages
501
Hi

i've alway forged out knives and normalizing is just part of the process but lately i've bought some o1 flatstock and did some stock reduction..... the process is fast.. but what has me thinking is do i need to normalize the starrett tool steel like i do with a forged blade... or is the grain structure fine to begin with...

really... it doesn't say to normalize it on the heat treat procedure that was on the package...?

by the by.. i did have fun using a bandsaw to cut it out.. ... using a dewalt instead of my wobbly 4x6


appreciate any help
Greg
 
A certain person on this forum once said if the stock removal people learn about normalization all things are equal or something similar to that:p. Every since i read that i normalize all my blades reguardless of how they are formed.:thumbup:

Bob
 
I use Starret almost exclusively. It needs no normalizing if just stock removal, but I have found that a stress relief of one hour at 1250°, then let it ramp up for the soak does help. Seems to reduce warp. You will not improve grain size with normalizing. When you get it, it is as good as it gets grain wise. I used to normalize, but Mete' said it does no good, as I found him absolutely correct, as usual.
 
Can someone post a link to Starret steel as it pertains to knife making?
I have tried to google it but what is coming up doesn't refer to knife making steel! :confused:
 
Something like O-1 should be spheroidized annealed when you get it. If you need to straighten you should just do a 1250F stress relieve which will also take care of stresses after grinding.
 
thanks for the help
and the links

i definitely believe that its sphero/annealed... it ground like a charm... and drilled very nicely ... a pleasure to work with


Greg:thumbup:
 
Greg Obach said:
i definitely believe that its sphero/annealed... it ground like a charm... and drilled very nicely ... a pleasure to work with
Click to expand...

Agreed. I've used a bit of "O1" from other sources and I find the Starret brand to be superior in several ways.

I'm no expert but I suspect a basic stress-relief cycle should be part of any HT regimen, regardless of alloy or process. What could it hurt?
 
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