tempering in "domestic" oven

D

duane roy

Joined
May 31, 1999
Messages
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I have been doing a little tempering of L6 and M2 in my oven. Tried 1 hour at 450 then another oil quench, and tried one hour at 450 then air cooling. Is this correct? Might as well use the oven for something, hey it's bbq season! Thanks
 
well, I'm no expert and I don't know much aboout L6 heat treatment. However, i think M2 tempers at a much higher temperature than a domestic oven supplies, upwards around 1000 deg F I think.

In order to get the most out of your steel, heat treatment is paramount. I would suggest researching your chosen steels and figure out specific heat treatment recipes for them.

Another note on household ovens. The thermostats are not super accurate. it may be a good idea to purchase another thermometer to stick in the oven to better monitor the temperature. If you can't afford one of those, learn the oxidation colors of steel at particular temperatures. It's best to do this with a simple carbon steel like O1 or 1095. the more a steel is alloyed, the more the oxidation colors change. Once you figure out the color patterns with a simple carbon steel, throw a chunk in with your blades and use that as your guide to the tempperature.

Hope this helps, maybe some other more experienced folks can step in.

Spencer

[This message has been edited by Spencer Stewart (edited 02 August 1999).]
 
What you did sounds OK for L6, but, isn't quite right for M2. M2 really requires a more sophisticated heat treatment (temperature and soak extremely critical), and, a higher tempering temp that you can get in your oven. You didn't mention how you hardened the blades initially, or what hardness they were prior to tempering.
As for the L6, once the blade is at temp, you can cool it any way you want (cooling rate not important), but, most will recommend allowing a slow air cool.
I'd multiple temper, also. Always a good idea for any steel.

Good Luck,

RJ martin
 
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