-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
temper file knife?
- Thread starter nc527
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2008
- Messages
- 4,076
Two cycles of two hours each should do it. Allow the blade to cool in air between cycles.
500 degrees F is as high as I would go. Depending on how accurate your oven is, you may want to start with a cycle at a lower temp, say 400 on the oven dial just in case it's getting hotter than the dial says. If the edge is still brittle, bump the temp up 50 degrees and do another cycle.
Refer to the infamous brass rod test to check your edge. This isn't very scientific, but gives you a rough idea of the blade's ability to hold a fine edge without being chippy. The color of the steel after tempering gives you some clues as well. You're looking for a nice bronze color as shown in this chart.
Have fun, file knives are cool.
500 degrees F is as high as I would go. Depending on how accurate your oven is, you may want to start with a cycle at a lower temp, say 400 on the oven dial just in case it's getting hotter than the dial says. If the edge is still brittle, bump the temp up 50 degrees and do another cycle.
Refer to the infamous brass rod test to check your edge. This isn't very scientific, but gives you a rough idea of the blade's ability to hold a fine edge without being chippy. The color of the steel after tempering gives you some clues as well. You're looking for a nice bronze color as shown in this chart.
Have fun, file knives are cool.
James is right. Do an hour at 400, then check for chipping, then 450 if it chips, 400 if it doesn't. IMO, if you got the heat treat right, it should chip at 400, not at 450. If your HT didn't get full hardness, you don't want to go to 450 or you'll lose some of the hardness you have.
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2013
- Messages
- 1
I just finished shaping and polishing a knife blade I made from a bastard file and now I need to heat treat it and get it ready for service. What do i need to do next and in steps to finish the tempering. I initially put it my my forge and brought it to cherry red then let it cool to ambient tempature. but not sure what I need to do next.