Main Discussion Area > Primitive Skills
knife making question
R H Clark:
--- Quote from: lonewolf on June 05, 2011, 03:57:46 pm ---what you gotta do is:
1. heat it up red hot about 1485 degrees until a magnet wont stick to the metal ( acetaline torch or forge is needed )
2. plunge it strait down into 150 degree vegetable oil ( this quenches or shrinks the steel hardening it )
3. after quenching a file shouldnt scratch the steel, buts its really brittle like glass
4. bake it in the oven at 500 degrees for an hour ( you need to back off the temper some because the steel is too hard and too brittle )
5. if its still too hard after cooling you can repeat step 4 again
as far as i know this is whats gotta be done to "temper" the steel
--- End quote ---
That's it in a nut shell. I'll only add that I like to make knives from known steel.Steel is fairly cheap and a lot of work goes into a knife only to be wasted if your steel won't harden properly because of too low carbon content.Kinda like making a bow out of a wet willow branch.
rover brewer:
what lonewolf said is right, the magnet is a good idea its how I heat treat mine, when the magnet no longer is drawn to the metal its ready for quenching it would be a good idea to have a telescopic magnet.
don't cry wolf:
I'm pretty darn sure too if you want to get more carbon into your steel, you gotta leave it red hot in the coals for a long time ( but make sure your fire aint too hot that steel is gonna burn up ) then quench it. what this does is lets the steel expand, the carbon from the coals will get into the steel and quenching it traps the carbon in the steel when it shrinks from the quick cooling.
Pat B:
The steel in these edger blades is tempered when you buy them. They have to be annealed to work them and re-tempered after. I'm sure it is not the best choice for knives but for a beginner it works very well.
I also have some pieces of large industrial band saw blades but I want to get the hang of knife building before I jump into them because I don't want to mess them up.
R H Clark:
A piece of 1095 carbon steel 1/8"X 1-1/2" X 36" is only $14.Well worth it IMHO.Scrap steel is fine if you are using it for the spirit of it.Maby a dear friend gave you a piece and that's fine but with known steel you take away all the guess work.
Usually by the time I finish a knife I've got so many hours in it,it's worth using $5 worth of good steel.
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