Stock Removal Question

J

J.S. Carter

Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
915
Hey ya'll I'm trying my hand at some stock removal knife making, (It's too cold to forge here in Indiana right now!) So Anyway, This is gonna sound way dumb... :o ... If I take it slow, and dont get the metal real hot, do I have to harden and heat treat? :o:foot::confused: The reason I asked is I've got some PFG O1 since it's allready hard and I didnt get it red during the initial grind to shape, then I used a file to finish shaping it afterward, so since I dont believe I ever lost temper, is it still needed? Should I do it for good measure? :confused::o

my Nicholson Black Diamond file is the best! it friggen EATS O1 Tool Steel for Breakfast! so the file test is kinda moot for me.

Anyway Thanks for lookin!

Jason
 
pfg comes in a soft state to be able to work with it, ie file, grind. needs to be hardened, then tempered on an oven..
 
As already said, it comes soft. You need to harden it next.
 
no wonder the old file ate it huh! ok thanx for that... well guess i get to crank up the ole forge for hardening anyway, awesome, thanx again for setting me straight guys!



Jason
 
One of the first hardness tests you'll learn as a knifemaker is to use a file and see if it bites into the metal. If it does, the steel is soft.

To shape hardened steel you'd need a grinder of some kind. You can grind knives out of hardened steel but you have to be careful not to let the steel get hotter than 200 degrees or so or it'll start losing its temper. It can happen quickly, especially as you get the edge thinned out. If the steel turns blue, it's toast as far as edge-holding ability.

Josh
 
If the blade is properly hardened and tempered, the file should literally slide off the blade as if you were rubbing a piece of felt to a piece of plastic or something like that :D It would take you a hundred years+ to try to shape even a partially hardened blade with a file.
 
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