I will stick my neck out here and speak for Robert (mete), Kevin, and myself:
Don't just take our words and apply them as gospel !
We get numbers wrong, read posts backward, and make mistakes.
What would make us happy is for newer (and older) makers to UNDERSTAND the metallurgy of knife steels, and apply that knowledge with their own though process. Asking advise is good, asking for an explanation of what might be going on in a HT process is better, asking if your plans for a HT are proper (after you studied and developed the plan) is the best.
Having a reliable data source for information,charts, and specs is the main thing you need to do this. Several books are commonly posted. It amazes me that a new maker will purchase $3000-5000 in equipment and balk at purchasing a $100-200 book that will teach him how to get the proper HT on the knife made from that equipment.
Stacy
Taking anybody’s word for Gospel is how we got in the sad state that bladesmithing has been in for some time when it comes to solid information. If I can, I will word things to sound incredible or contrary in hopes of inspiring folks to research it themselves in an attempt to prove me wrong, to date it I have always been proven right so I really enjoy folks verifying my stuff
. I am not proven right because I am that good or infallible, but because I care a little more about being wrong so I tend to have my facts in order and within reach before opening my big yap.
But bladesmithing is full of characters who either have a need for attention or want to make money at any cost and will broadcast any wild assumption that verifies their personal worldview, regardless of facts. They are the reason folks need to verify all information. Never, and I mean
NEVER fall for the trap that just because the person is published or a demonstrator at a hammer-in that they know what they are talking about. Anybody can write a book, and the publisher won’t ask for proof of any degree’s or credentials before publishing, magazines are even worse- they need articles and aren’t too particular about where they get them as long as they are entertaining. Proof reading of those articles only involves spelling, grammar and catchy wording, rarely fact checking. Anybody with a camcorder and a computer can put out a DVD. Assembling a hammer-in is a serious chore and often the organizers are too happy to just fill the roster to be bothering with how factual the presenters will be. If a very famous smith inspired the people putting on the show most information from that smith will be gospel to them and not need verification, indeed that would be disrespectful, so you should expect to get a lot of regurgitated bad information thrown at you.
Stacy you are right about the equipment versus book thing. What is the very soul of a knife?
The heat treat! Without it everything else will only get you a pretty piece of soft steel. Yet I get discouraged when I see makers who have spent from $500 to $1,500 on a grinder, engraver etc… cry like you stabbed them if you suggest they spend $50 on a good quenching oil.
Or worse, spend the money on really good equipment only to use it in working mystery scrap steel. I will admit that I dug in and insisted that I would not spend $300 on a damned book when I decided to get a “Heat Treater’s Guide” but then when I got my discounted used copy I realized that if you plan to heat treat many steels the book was worth $500 if you had to. 10 minutes of reading that book will remove all the chains of ignorance that traditional bladesmithing wisdom will have burden you with and have you producing better blades than some of the famous guys are doing after struggling for 20 years.
P.S. If somebody would care to drop me a private message or e-mail, I would be curious to know where this interesting heat treat information is coming from.
