View Full Version : HT after filing?


EZ1
05-28-2003, 03:41 AM
Hello everyone!

I have been filing knives from factory stock sheets of O1 and have never found the need to HT after the profiling of the blade. I am assuming the the only stress imposed on the metal has been in the process of initial profiling with the use of a dremel. I remove plenty of stock in the filing process after doing the cutting and I find it advantegeous to start with thin sheets of O1 (usually .25").

What do think?

Thanks!
EZ1

Jerry Hossom
05-28-2003, 06:49 AM
You need to heat treat. It's not to relieve stresses, but to make the steel hard so it will hold an edge and not bend or deform easily on impacts. Annealed O1, which is what you're using, is maybe Rockwell 35. After hardening it will be about Rc61-63.

0.25" is actually fairly thick as knife blades go. Most of the steel I use in my blades is 0.160-0.190". There's nothing wrong with 0.25", but you can safely go much thinner, BUT only if you promise to heat treat the steel so it won't bend... :)

EZ1
05-28-2003, 01:27 PM
Thanks for responding,

I apologize for not asking the question properly, what I meant to ask was, if the initial HT after profiling has been done, do I have to HT again after some file work to the blade?

I know the .25" thickness sounds terribly thick however, when you are not forging and want to get a little wild with integral features, it becomes a necessity. I do all my work with files, at least for the meantime, its the only way I know how. I started making knives a few years ago without tutorials, books or mentors. I am what you would call a Pseudo-file expert :D

I do promise to HT! ......No fingers crossed!:evil

Jerry Hossom
05-28-2003, 02:41 PM
If it's heat treated properly a file shouldn't be able to cut it, unless you're using diamond files. Otherwise, anything you do after heat treat shouldn't affect the blade unless you heat it above the temper temperature which for O1 is about 400F.

Use the pain test. If it burns you it's getting too hot! :)