to anyone who can answer - over on eds forum , i read something interesting from quenchcrack - to properly annel 01 , it should be taken to [ was it ? ] 1650 to 1700 ? this is above non-magnetic , what i've always done in the past , and not with the greatest sucess . many times i've tried to annel twice , without sucess , and ended up using carbide drills on the tang . could this also be my problem with a couple of " can damascus " billits i have just sitting in my shop , because i can't cut them with the bandsaw ? to get a full annel with alloy steels , such as 01 , do i need to go higher in my heating temps ? i haven't made anymore " cans " because of this major problem . thanks for any help with this problem . paul

Hi Paul-

I asked the same question here a while back. Refer to this thread...

http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22541

There seems to be an awful lot of questions regarding the heat treat process for O1. Or maybe we are just letting it cool too fast...

I looked up the recommended annealing temperature of O1 in the ASM handbook and it recommends 1400F-1450F. The curie point, the point at which it becomes non-magnetic, is about 1460F. If you heated it to just non-magnetic, you should be able to anneal it IF you can cool it at maximum rate of 40 degrees per hour. If I said you must heat it hotter to anneal it I was either wrong or mis-understood. I have often made the comment that for carbon contents between about .50 and .95%, you can heat to non-mag and quench it and it will harden just fine. Holding at temperature will help dissolve more carbides and get you a little extra hardness. Above .95% or below .50% Carbon, and you need to heat hotter, depending on the exact chemistry.

quenchckack , i went back , you're right , i misread what i had said . jason , thanks for the thread , i'll start using my digetal controled furance to do annels on 01 . thanks guys , these forums are great . paul