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All you metal guys out there.

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Stringman:
Ok, I think I know the answer here but let's talk about what I did wrong. Following Khalverson build along has generated some pretty nice file knives. However, I got in a discussion with some old blacksmiths the other day and they said if it wasn't tempered then the knife could be harder. In a nutshell, we heated the blade to "nonmetallic" then quenched it. Then heated it to "wheat" color and quenched again. This second step was supposed to soften it up a bit and still keep a hard edge. Using this process I created this knife.



This morning I used my stove in the garage (and some forced air) to temper a few more blades.



Pleased with the results, I cleaned one blade up and mixed some glue to pin some scales on the blade. Everything was together and the pins were in ( but needed set a little deeper) so I clamped the blade in the vise and tapped them with a hammer/punch.



That's right! Good day turned bad... Fortunately I was able to pull the scales apart before the glue setup, but that was small consolation.



My question is: are these blades too brittle if they snap that easy? Or is that what you get with a finely tempered knife?

Eric Krewson:
Never heard of quenching after the wheat straw color. I have heard of bring the metal to around 400 degrees and holding that temp for 3 or 4 hours to make the metal less brittle.

That said, I know little about heat treating blades just what I have read.

bubby:
i'm no expert but I know the harder the metal the more brittle, it's got to give a little, I don't know I did my file knifes like khalverson's build and their tough as al get out

lenador:
All the file knives I've made and to my understanding you are supposed to soften a file up a bit before its knife ready. Because you need softer type metal to keep the edge from chipping. A slightly softer blade will get sharper And last longer. With a hard metal the thin edge could chip and chips force you to remove more metal to retrieve your edge.
 Idk if that makes sense.

wildman:
I always bring my metal down slow the last time. The 400ish degree thing for the last time is the way to go. Catch the lady of the house gone and put them in the oven for about 3 hrs. I have built several this way as well as hawk heads , which take a beating no troubles. Good luck and nice looking knives!

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