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Blade:
Hello Ralph,
You don't have to see color to harden or temper steel, any steel can be hardned by using temperature. Most stainless steels require soak times at temp of up to 30 minutes so you bring it up to temp and quench then run your tempering cycle which is usually two cycles of two hours each and a cryo cycle in between for some steels.
Take care,
Eddie
Divided he ad:
Hi Eddie,
--- Quote ---You don't have to see color to harden or temper steel
--- End quote ---
I've always thought it was to do with the colours? Cherry red and all that.... Red is red. There is bright red and dark red, that's about it for me ::)
I'm well in the market for a thread on hardening and tempering.... At your or anyone else's leisure. It's not like I need to do any tomorrow.... Or the next few weeks/months either as far as I know?
Still very interested in this stuff.... I did read something about tempering in an oven the other day.... Can't remember where? Thought it was a possibly an "in" joke :scratch:
anyway.... Always interested in new ways (for me) of doing things :)
Ralph.
P.S. Did you figure the Quote function out yet? I can explain if required?
Blade:
--- Quote from: Divided he ad on November 18, 2010, 08:02:55 PM ---Hi Eddie,
--- Quote ---You don't have to see color to harden or temper steel
--- End quote ---
I've always thought it was to do with the colours? Cherry red and all that.... Red is red. There is bright red and dark red, that's about it for me ::)
I'm well in the market for a thread on hardening and tempering.... At your or anyone else's leisure. It's not like I need to do any tomorrow.... Or the next few weeks/months either as far as I know?
Still very interested in this stuff.... I did read something about tempering in an oven the other day.... Can't remember where? Thought it was a possibly an "in" joke :scratch:
anyway.... Always interested in new ways (for me) of doing things :)
Ralph.
P.S. Did you figure the Quote function out yet? I can explain if required?
--- End quote ---
Yup I think I have the Qoute thing figure out. Thanks!
Using color to harden steel is usually hit or miss. Due to varying light conditions it is easy to judge the color wrong, a better way is to use a magnet. When you heat a piece of steel to the critical temperature it becomes non magnetic, by using a magnet on a rod or wire you can check your steel until the magnet will no longer stick, at that point hold the steel at temp for another 30 seconds or so and then remove and quench immediately. Another indicator That you reached proper temperature you can look for is that the scale will be falling off or blown off of the piece that you are quenching.
Another method you can use is if you have a kiln is you heat to 1500 degrees F and hold at temp for 5 minutes but you need to have an accurate pyrometer and it is best to have some type of coating for the steel to protect it from decarburizing. These methods are for simple steels like O1 W1 and the 10 steels. When you start to do more complex steels like 440c and A2 they require long soak times so you just run at temp in the kiln and then quench.
Blade:
--- Quote from: Allthumbz on November 18, 2010, 06:34:06 PM ---Hey Blade, nice craftsmanship on the knives!
My think is antique clocks, but I admire good craftsmanship wherever I see it.
This is a great forum, welcome and enjoy it!
--- End quote ---
Thank you! I agree, there is nothing like looking at something that is well crafted, I love to look at anything that is hand crafted or machined and well made. I think that is what attracted me to this forum, Lots of great work here and a ton of info.
Thanks for the welcome!
andyf:
--- Quote from: Divided he ad on November 18, 2010, 08:02:55 PM ---I've always thought it was to do with the colours? Cherry red and all that.... Red is red. There is bright red and dark red, that's about it for me ::)
--- End quote ---
Ralph, I've never found "cherry red" very helpful; cherries just don't seem to come in the same colour range as red-hot steel. In one of his books, L C Mason recommended the colour of boiled carrots for hardening, and that seems to work for my rough and ready stuff. The more difficult bit is tempering; I go for a straw colour, but with a direct flame it's easy to get the relatively thin bit which is going to be the cutting edge glowing red again, so it stays hard and brittle when quenched.
Andy
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