Dear Eric:
First allow me to say thank you for supporting UAI and purchasing a billet of our Thunderforged(tm) Damascus.
Please do let me know which one of our distributors you have purchased this steel from.
Also I have published our recommended specs. on the steel for your review.
Should you have any questions, I will be glad to answer them directly, you can contact me via phone at 6789699147 or fax at 6789699169 or email at
ric@knifesupplies.com
Heat Treating Instructions for Thunderforged® Damascus
Step by Step
1. Heat blade to between 1,400 & 1,500 degrees F.
2. Quench in light oil or brine.
3. Draw temper to desired hardness
Heating the Blade
The blade should be evenly heated to a bright red/dull orange color. This should be achieved between 1,400 & 1,500 degrees F. Be careful not to overheat. Quenching an overheated blade will increase the change of cracking or warping. Another good method it to heat the blade until the magnetic properties are lost. To test that a blade is ready to quench a magnet may be used. Once there is little or no attraction between the blade and magnet the blade will have reached the proper temperature and is ready to quench.
Quenching the Blade
Quenching is performed in either light oil (we recommend olive old with clove quenches well we find), or a standard quenching oil. Or use a brine solution (salt & water). Dissolving salt in boiling water until it no longer dissolves makes a brine solution. The brine quench will make the blade much harder as it will cool the steel much faster than the oil. The oil quench is well suited to a large blade where toughness is more needed whereas the brine quench is more suited to the small skinner and folder blades where holding an edge is important. The blade should be quenched either point first or spine first in order to minimize the chance of cracking or warping. Care must be taken when quenching in brine. The quicker the blade is cooled the more likely it is to crack. A good precaution is to preheat the brine to around 100 degrees F prior to quenching.
The oil quench is well suited to a large blade where toughness is more needed whereas the brine quench is more suited to the small skinner and folder blades where holding an edge is important. The blade should be quenched either point first or spine first in order to minimize the chance of cracking or warping.
Drawing the Temper of the Blade
Drawing, or tempering the blade is done by heating the steel in an oven. The blade is placed in a heat treat oven and brought to a specific temperature. It is then allowed to soak at that temperature to assure a full even heat. The specific temperature determines the relative hardness of the blade. Below are listed the approximate Rockwell Hardness achieved at the various temperatures. It should be noted that some parts of all nickel damascus may test somewhat softer due to the nickel content.
1095
Quench 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650
Hardness 65 64 63 61 59 57 55 54
01
Quench 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650
Hardness 62 61 59 58 56 55 54 53
Note when heat treating multiple blades keep ample space between each blade for proper air circulation.
Thunderforged® is a registered trademark of Universal Agencies, Inc. all rights reserved.
Etching Instructions for Thunderforged® Damascus
Step by Step
1. Clean blade with acetone.
2. Soak in solution.
3. Rinse in water & soap.
4. Oil.
Detailed Instructions
Clean your blade very well in acetone. At this point make sure you do not touch the blade with your hands, as the oils from your fingers will harm the end result. We recommend that you use tweezers. Once the blade is totally dry you are ready to dip it in to the solution.
Dip the blade point down in to the glass or plastic container that is holding the etching solution. Leave the blade in there for about 15 to 20 minutes. Pull the blade out after 15 minutes & inspect how the etch looks, if you need a higher contrast, again dip the blade back in the etching solution for additional time till you have reached the desired contrast. Do regularly check on your blade while in the solution.
Once you have reached the desired contrast you pull the blade out and immediately rinse it in luke warm water & rub hand soap on it simultaneously. At this time you will notice that a black substance will be coming off, this is the carbon that was removed during the etch. Keep washing the blade until no more black carbon is coming off.
The next step is to oil your blade using good quality gun oil.
Even after you have oiled it, you can go back to step 1 to start all over to reach a higher contrast if desired.
Etching Solution Ingredients
50% PCB Etchant Solution (available at Radio Shack®) & mix with 50% White Vinegar. Use a plastic or glass container to hold this solution DO NOT use a metal container.
Thunderforged® is a trademark of Universal Agencies, Inc. all rights reserved.
©2001 Universal Agencies, Inc. Unauthorized Publication Prohibited
Best regards,
Ric C. Chopra
Vice President & General Manager
Universal Agencies, Inc. (UAI)
www.knifesupplies.com
