Sword Heat Treat Question

[David Stifle]

Hi all, I am almost finished with a Shamshir (28.5" blade)r, and will soon be sending it in for heat treating. It's A2 steel. I am uncertain if I should request a Rc harness of 60, I don't see any reason not to, but, I have often read most swordmakers strive for a harness of 55 or 56, as this prevents chipping. Any advice?

 

[mete]

55-56 is the better choice .Super hardness and wear resistance is not the most important .

 

[David Stifle]

55-56 is the better choice .Super hardness and wear resistance is not the most important .

Thanks, Mete. Exactly what I've always read. My confusion stems from the "new, improved" steels we have nowadays. I thought they might take a higher hardness and still perform well.

 

[the possum]

Mete-
the spec sheet I have for A2 (Timken-Latrobe) shows a toughness peak with a 600*F temper. This coincides with about 57-58 Rc. Toughness at 55Rc is actually worse. Does this hold true for A2 across the board, or do some steel makers tweak the recipe just enough to muddy the waters?

 

[mete]

Possum, first of all Timken bought but then not too long after ,sold Latrobe !! That was long after I worked for them . Makers can and do sometimes tweek things . For example 9310 had .08-.13 Carbon but they always melted to .11-.13 C .That alloy was very difficult to machine and that higher C made it just a little easier. Also check to see if if there are optional elements ,that would change things . In more recent years , if you were a big customer , they would examine your whole proceedure and recommend specific composition and all the details of HT ! I was always amazed at the accuracy which they could met to ! The other point is that in my experience impact strength values were not an absolute ,much had to do with the exact usage.

 

[the possum]

The other point is that in my experience impact strength values were not an absolute ,much had to do with the exact usage.

Ah. Thanks for coming back with that. I'll gladly accept your experience in this area over guidelines from the spec sheet. It's good to know.

 

[J W Bensinger]

I think it all depends on whether you can draw the spine on an A2 blade or not. I run 60rc edges but I draw the spine back to spring. Dunno if A2 will work that way.