When to treat lock bars?

[John L]

Making several folders, scale release and lockbacks. I would guess that the final fit of locking bar should be done after HT? I fit by hand filing....won't these files just kinda bounce off the steel? Wondering about the scale also. Does removing the scale remove any appreciable steel from these small parts?

 

[sattley]

I'm not an expert on this by any stretch of the immagination but, I have made 2 lock back folders and did all the fitting before heat treat. They fit the same when they came back as they did when they left. If your worried, you could leave a tiny bit of extra meat and then use diamond files or the hones you get from machine and/or gunsmithing supply places to perfect your final fit. If you send them to D'alton Holder (contact info in the K&G finishing supply catalog) he treats them in an oxygen free furnace and they come back with absolutely no scale what so ever.
Good Luck

 

[F. Allin Kahrl]

Liquid-quench steels like 1084, 1095, W-2 and to a lesser extent O-1 will change size slightly through heat treat, but on such a small scale may still be acceptable if finished before HT. But, if you're using air-hardening steels like A-2 and D-2 (and stainless by extension) are formulated for minimal distortion and expansion through heat treat and should be fine. You could always grab some diamond hones if you find you need to do any additional fitting after HT.

 

[Kim Breed]

If you quench in vegetible oil you will not have any scale. as far as after ht I agree with all , use very fine diamond files. I use ezelap

Making several folders, scale release and lockbacks. I would guess that the final fit of locking bar should be done after HT? I fit by hand filing....won't these files just kinda bounce off the steel? Wondering about the scale also. Does removing the scale remove any appreciable steel from these small parts?