Issues with my knife

[kimandre]

Hi all, my name is Kim Andre and I'm new.

Now I have an issue, I have put down alot of time and energy into making this knife. Not sure what kind of metal used, but it's somekind of stainless (silly me for using a metal I know nothing about).

Anyway, I was wondering if anybody know any good "tricks" to harden the metal. The edge will dent if used heavily, and I have actually bent the entire knife blade about 25 degrees when it got stuck in a piece of wood. This is very anoying since I have put some time into making the darn thing.

Any help would be most welcome, thanks

 

[mrcharly]

How did you make the blade and have you done any heat treatment on it?

 

[kimandre]

How did you make the blade and have you done any heat treatment on it?

The knife is anglegrinded out of a 3,5mm thick sheath of unknown stainless steel. I have tried heat threating it at a stove in the coals until it turned almost cherry red, then dipped the whole thing in motor oil to cool it down rappidly.

I think it is to soft, I am by no means a blacksmith. So any tips, tricks an suggestions are most welome.

 

[HillBill]

You can not heat treat stainless steel without a proper digitally controlled oven, capable of reaching temps in excess of 1100 degrees C. If you dont know what the stainless is, no one with a digitally controlled oven can heat treat it for you, as each blend of stainless has different instructions for the heat treat process.

I think you wasted your time by making it out of stainless. A simple carbon steel could have been heat treated by yourself easily

As it is, you have a nice letter opener, it will never be a decent knife if you dont know the steel. The steel might not even be hardeneable, as many aren't.

 

[kimandre]

Thanks for an informative reply. Guess the "canopener" goes back in the box, and I have learned an important lesson

 

[HillBill]

Don't give up though mate, if you want a stainless blade there are plenty of folk who could heat treat it for you for a small fee. Myself included, your a fair old distance from me though. But its better to buy steel that you know what it is

 

[kimandre]

Thanks for all the help HillBill, that cleared up alot for me. I have a bad habbit of skipping the all important basics and getting right into the goodies of doing things, guess I got to pay abit for it now.

Next time, I will make sure what kind of steel I'm working with

 

[Gray]

What a shame, interesting looking knife.

 

[Paul_B]

Draft question but are there places you could get it tested? If there is then any offcut if tested could salvage you work, perhaps at a cost. After all you get mill certs with steel supplied to industry.