Quenching O1 Tool Steel

[Shinken]

As for the 5% / 95% you could be right I am just unreasonably influenced by practically all the maker's whose work, or writings, I really admire using precise control, long soaks and thermal cycles.

But wont long soak times increase grain growth and thus lower the toughness?

i know 01 has the right alloys to reduce grain growth, but most people get acceptably hard blades without a long soak?

 

[snarble]

Does tempering have to take place immediately after it is quenched? or can it be done anytime?

thanks.

 

[Matt.S]

Does tempering have to take place immediately after it is quenched? or can it be done anytime?

thanks.

You should temper as soon after hardening as possible, otherwise your knife is likely to break even just sitting on the bench.

 

[robin wood]

You should temper as soon after hardening as possible, otherwise your knife is likely to break even just sitting on the bench.

See the funny thing is the more time you spend reading the more conflicting information and the more confusing it gets. I would have said it makes no difference how long between harden and temper other than if you drop it in the meantime it might crack.

Best thing is just get out there and give it a go it really is much easier than it all sounds.

 

[snarble]

I have one last question...

On the BritishBlades link it says quench for 3 seconds, take it out for two then put it back in...

Someone else wrote in for 3 out for 3 in for 3... Will the steel have completely cooled by that point? If no... What will happen if I leave it in to cool completely?

I'll be sure to post my finished knife on here when I'm finished.

I'm from Manitoba. (Someone asked and I just noticed.)

 

[robin wood]

I have one last question...

On the BritishBlades link it says quench for 3 seconds, take it out for two then put it back in...

Someone else wrote in for 3 out for 3 in for 3... Will the steel have completely cooled by that point? If no... What will happen if I leave it in to cool completely?

I'll be sure to post my finished knife on here when I'm finished.

I'm from Manitoba. (Someone asked and I just noticed.)

I have never understood why anyone does that taking out and putting back in business. Put it in and swoosh it about until it's cool. We are looking for the whole thing to be cooled to less than the 200 c or so tempering temps so doesn't need to be stone cold.

 

[sasquatch]

I have one last question...

On the BritishBlades link it says quench for 3 seconds, take it out for two then put it back in...

Someone else wrote in for 3 out for 3 in for 3... Will the steel have completely cooled by that point? If no... What will happen if I leave it in to cool completely?

I'll be sure to post my finished knife on here when I'm finished.

I'm from Manitoba. (Someone asked and I just noticed.)

It was me that said in for 3 out for 3 and back in, and in the link I posted from bb it says in for 3 out for 2 back in. Sorry for the confusing info, my memory isn't what it should be at times. I haven't seen the thread I posted from bb for some time and got it wrong!

I did that for my first couple blades then started doing it the way Robin said to see if it made any difference. For what I do I can't tell, they all seem to stand up to abuse apart from the first carver I made. It's small and thin, I think I over-did it when heating and it turned out a bit brittle, lesson learned! Everything since has been fine...

It was also me that asked where you're from as I grew up in Estevan, Saskatchewan. My dad's from Deloraine manitoba and we had a cabin on Lake Metigoshee when I was a kid. Always good to see a fellow Canuk on here! Good luck with the blades, just remember to have fun doing it! Git er done fella!

 

[HillBill]

See the funny thing is the more time you spend reading the more conflicting information and the more confusing it gets. I would have said it makes no difference how long between harden and temper other than if you drop it in the meantime it might crack.

Best thing is just get out there and give it a go it really is much easier than it all sounds.

Yeah it does not matter if you wait a bit before tempering. I triple quench my blades and once hardened after 3 quenches they are not really brittle at all. I bent one when i was quenching( because of sideways movement in the quench, DO NOT DO THIS) I got mad with it, put it in a vice and clouted it with a hammer. It didn't break, i had to give it another good whack before it snapped so they are not as brittle as you may think after a triple quench.