The terminology can get quite confusing! Normalizing is different from thermal cycling, but technically speaking "normalizing" is a "thermal cycle"! Actually ANY heat a blade sees could be a "thermal cycle"! But for our uses as knife makers and heat treaters...normalizing is done about 150°F hotter than it's hardening (austenitizing) temperature. For 10xx series steels, this is roughly 1600°F-1650°F. Normalizing is done to relieve forging/grinding stresses and to reset the overall grain/carbide structure of the steel. The grain may be big after normalizing, but it's uniform. After normalizing, we "thermal cycle" 3x at a temperature close to our austenitizing temp. For 10xx series steels this is around 1475°F-1500°F. This is done to help refine the grain structure by creating more grains in a given area/volume, resulting in a finer grain.
This is fantastic info. I've read that 1080 is a good beginner steel, it seems 1095 may be worth trying next although 01 sounds appealing.
Since I work in IT, lists and processes are how I think, here's a rundown of my processes -
Tools:
Portable bandsaw converted for table top use, for cutting profiles
Angle grinder
Rotary tool for finder grinding/cutting
Wen 4x36" belt sander
Harbort Freight 1x30" belt sander
Mini forge, made of refractory bricks, uses propane
Process (done):
If necessary, anneal (I began using my bigger mini forge and cooling in vermiculite, but now use an old grill with briquette/wood coals, bury the steel and let it cool slowly, much better results)
Trace and cut profile
Drill holes, create bevel (tricky!) leaving about a dime width on edge
Process (upcoming):
Normalize 3x (heat to non-magnetic, let air cool)
Heat to a touch above non-magnetic, quench in canola oil heated to 135F (blade or spine first?)
Harden in oven, 2 cycles at 400F at 2 hours each time
Finish bevels, sharpen, clean up, glue scales, etc.
Right now I'm either using tools I had at my disposal or that I was able to afford. It seems the biggest and most important upgrade would be a proper belt sander. Grinding bevels so far has been the trickiest step, it's a true art form. I first practiced on kiridashi style knives I shaped out of old files (I keep overheating the tips), then did the bevels on two Kephart/bushcraft style blades that will be my first start-to-finish blades.
Thanks for all of your input and apologies for the verbosity. I'm hoping this will lead to further suggestions on improving this workflow.
