A higher tempering temperature will yield a somewhat softer material with higher toughness, whereas a lower tempering temperature will produce a harder and somewhat more brittle material, as shown by the figure below. Using a blank that has been hardened in this way greatly improves the tempering process. Thanks for all the input. Related The Best Method of Gun Bluing. I have done knife-making in the past so I was famil… Helps a bunch. You are using an out of date browser. Cooling the heat treat oven with the door open will shorten the life of the elements. Let the oven heat completely before you place your steel inside. JavaScript is disabled. For best results, preheat everything up before you put knife in. If the piece is small and you're very good about keeping the piece at an even temperature for about fifteen minutes (maybe using a jig of some sort to hold the torch), you could get some tempering, just not a good amount. The prefix "A" Put the knife in an oven for an hour or two at 250–350 °F (121–177 °C) to temper it. Ever tried opening the door and using a small fan to blow on it? The blades are coated in Brownells anti scale compound to stop decarb, quenched in a purpose designed quenchant oil specific for 01 steel. Yup. Some alloys require different handling but I cannot be specific without knowing what you are working with. Joined Nov 13, 2013 Messages 910 Likes 2,249 Location southcentral Ky. Jun 23, 2015 #1 I've ground out two knives out of a old saw mill blade I had. Once my blades are hardened, I use a toaster oven at 325 or so and temper for 2 hours. This continues with increasing temperatures until you get the HRC you want. Once my kiln is cooled down, I temper another 2 rounds at my target temperature. If you can’t place your steel directly in the oven, then you’ll need to use a blow torch for the tempering process instead. The steel is composted of 1 percent carbon, .3 percent silicon, .6 percent manganese, 5.3 percent chromium, 1.1 percent molybdenum and .2 percent vanadium. Knife Making Supplies - Best prices, selection and service. On the other hand, if the knife is expected to keep a sharp edge, it can instead be tempered at 175°C (347°F) for maximum hardness. The last process is called Tempering. Then insulated the inside bottom and back with 1" KAO-WOOL. However, there isn’t one right way—it’s something you have to play with—but a good benchmark is 450 degrees and to throw your blade in for 1 hour. Using 350°F led to an increase in hardness of only 0.7 Rc, but the toughness was drastically reduced, so the hardness-toughness balance is much poorer. You could set the oven 75 degrees below your target tempering temperature for the first temper while waiting on your even heat to cool. Note that if the tempered blade is exposed to temperatures above the tempering temperature (e.g. Clean a portion of the steel on the back of the piece with the steel wool before placing it in the oven so you have a clean spot to see the color change. I like to use a rack to hold my blades edge up in my oven, I made mine by slotting a soft fire brick to hold 5-6 blades at a time. Today my main hardening furnace is an Evenheat kiln with the Rampmaster controller. Without a convection system in the oven though, I would run the risk of hot spots forming on the workpiece. Heat the blade at the desired temperature for one hour, and then allow it to cool to room temperature. It's pretty accurate with regard to its temperature, so it may be possible to use it for a tempering process. I got curious and I called Evenheat and spoke with Tech support and I asked if opening the door and let the oven cool would damage it. during grinding), the properties of the knife will be impaired. In my opinion alone, I would say your best option would be to wait and use your HT oven. To temper steel without an oven, place the cleaned blank back in the heat source you used for Step 1. A camping knife or a survival knife, for example, may be tempered at 350°C (662°F) so that it will be able to withstand rough handling without breaking. Place probe next to knife. Cook your blade for one hour, allow it to cool to room temp, and return it to the oven for another hour. Very helpful and just a nice guy to talk with. Call us Tempering will make the blade less brittle. My stove is gas, and goes up to 550 degrees. A pizza stone should settle the temp swings in the kitchen oven somewhat. Use the Evenheat. By first heating the knife steel to between 1050 and 1090°C (1922 and 1994°F) and then quickly cooling (quenching) it, the knife steel will become much harder, but also more brittle. If you have a wood or phenolic handle, use a propane torch to heat the blade only for about two minutes. Tempering a knife. Remove and allow to cool. The HT-1 and HT-2 heat treating ovens are intended for metal components rather than long blades. Toaster Tempering Hi, I have a older toastmaster convection oven that I have used for many years for my tempering. Use and over and heat the blade to approx 350 degrees for three hours. The transformation to martensite will otherwise be interrupted and the hardening results may be impaired. Spoke with Jim in tech support. From there I temper depending on the type of knife I am making. Tempering should be carried out within a reasonable time after hardening, preferably within an hour or so. Usually an 1/8" hole works. Correctly performed hardening will result in a good balance between hardness, toughness and corrosion resistance of the finished knife blade.Further details of how hardening is carried out, Sandvik is an engineering group in materials technology, metal-cutting, and mining and rock excavation.Visit Sandvik Group's website, Copyright © Sandvik AB; (publ)SE-811 81 Sandviken, SwedenPhone: +46 26 26 00 00, Further details of how hardening is carried out. Use an oven thermometer to get close to your target oven temperature. The Artisan knife oven is perfect for small, pocket folding blades. Increasing the tempering temperature from 400 to 450°F led to a decrease in both hardness and toughness. Tempering temperatures below 175°C (347°F) should be used only in exceptional cases, when extreme demands are made on high hardness, since very low tempering temperatures will result in a very brittle material. Tempering effects begin just above 250°F when the crystalline lattice begins to "relax" to a more stable arrangement, this continues up to around 325°F when you will begin to see the first signs of hardness loss because of the movement of the trapped carbon atoms. Drill hole in side of oven to place thermometer probe in. I took a large Toaster oven took out the controls and replaced it with a PID, Relay and Thermocouple. You must log in or register to reply here. From my research it should be L6 steel. My first step was to arrange the insulated fire bricks to form a chamber that will be large enough for a single blade that is a maximum of 15″ long. You can also leave it in a hot covered spot with a few coals, such as a makeshift brick box. Use a smaller toaster oven if your piece of steel fits inside. With a better PID probably better! Once my kiln is cooled down, I temper … Call us Email us There is enough difference in temper temperatures here that you want to check out the specific steel for the proper temperature to achieve a desired hardness. Submerge the blade into a pan of cooking oil, blade edge first. Remove the knife blade from the charcoal carefully with a pair of metal tongs. A kitchen oven works but tempering is often at the high limit of the oven. For a knife we want the material hard enough to hold an edge but do not want the blade to break. By Jeremiah Blanchard. The Cubed knife oven is larger and also designed for folding blades. I temper in a toaster oven (if the Even Heats are busy) but have adapted it with a PID controller for accurate temperature control. Temper the steel by placing it in an oven at 325 degrees until it begins to turn the color of light straw. Watch temp as it heats up. Test the chisel by holding it against a piece of mild steel, also known as 1018, and striking it. The steel will need to be rehardened before you can continue. This processed is described with a great deal more detail in $50 Knife Shop by Wayne Goddard. After 3 one hour cycles, the tempering is complete. I annealed it in a camp fire, then ground it to the shape I wanted. It may not display this or other websites correctly. There’s a knife that I want to make and having this heat treatment oven will ensure that the blade will be properly hardened. Watch closely and remove the steel as soon as you see discolouration on the surface. Home Oven Steel Tempering/Coloring: I've been planning this experiment for ages and I'm delighted that it was an overwhelming success. The trick is determining the temperature. A novice knifeman hardly finds himself with a series of equipment to work the material in a professional way and a key accessory turns out to be the oven for temper… Email us. AISI A2 tool steel is high-carbon, high alloy tool steel designed to have excellent wear resistance and toughness. Ever tried opening the door and using a small fan to blow on it? Tempering usually works best after the metal has been heat-treated. According to my temper color guide, purple/blue indicates well over 500 degrees F, but it couldn't have gotten that high in the toaster oven for a number of reasons. By first heating the knife steel to between 1050 and 1090°C (1922 and 1994°F) and then quickly cooling (quenching) it, the knife steel will become much harder, but also more brittle. You can temper steel in less than half an hour using your kitchen oven. The tempering process hardens the steel, but makes it slightly more flexible, making it more durable. The same method works with sawblades and other already-hardened steel. Translated, without a hardening oven or a company that does it for you you can not properly temper certain steels. I used to harden my early blades in a charcoal forge, quench them in vegetable oil and temper them in the house hold oven. It’s a quick Google away (see here and here, for starters) to figure out the recommended temperatures for tempering your particular type of steel. A fifty degree swing in temps is more than enough to effect your temper. Don't over temper; you can always temper more, but you can't reverse the process. Hardening is a way of making the knife steel harder. Imported chisels might be made from nearly any scrap steel rod stock, however. Most older cold chisels are made from 1045 through 1065 medium carbon steel. Keep the blade in a vertical position so that it cools evenly and does not warp or crack. For my Basic Series Chefs Knives I temper at 365 degrees F 2 … Use a sander or wire wheel to remove oxidation from the blade, using the abrasive that is appropriate for that stage of the blade's construction. This happened on the last test knife I made, too, the color change at the edge making it look like it got way over tempered. Preheat your oven to 375 °F (191 °C). Thread starter hamanky; Start date Jun 23, 2015; hamanky Scout. Forget about whatever temp control knob says on front of toaster oven. ... Heat the blade for 15 to 20 minutes in an oven set on 325 Fahrenheit if the handle is metal. Since the time I made this steel lunch box three years ago I knew I wanted to heat color it blue. To reduce the brittleness, the material is tempered, usually by heating it to 175–350°C (347–662°F) for 2 hours, which results in a hardness of 53–63 HRC and a good balance between sharpness retention, grindability and toughness. Dipping the blade in motor oil makes it harder but also more brittle, which is why it’s important to temper … For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I generally turn off my forge and use the residual heat for tempering. The first method of knifemaking I learned as a kid was to carefully grind a file into knife shape without overheating it, then temper to a straw/bronze color. I can hold temp plus or minus 4 Degrees. Then let it cool slowly in the oven. With my lack of metallurgy expertise admitted, I temper at 400F. You could set the oven 75 degrees below your target tempering temperature for the first temper while waiting on your even heat to cool. This will temper the steel. Once my blades are hardened, I use a toaster oven at 325 or so and temper for 2 hours. Took off the outer jacket and put a layer of 1" KAO-WOOL in there too! How to Temper Knife Blades. Place the steel in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C (390 F) for 15 to 20 minutes. Similarly, tempering temperatures above 350°C (662°F) should be avoided, since this could give rise to brittleness and reduced corrosion resistance. 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