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High-Performance Blades Sharing ideas for getting the most out of our steel.

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  #1  
Old 06-07-2006, 09:33 PM
Ssj2 Ssj2 is offline
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differentially heat treating cromium steels

I would like to know exactly how do you go about differentially heat treating steels like a2 and ats34. Can you use the normal clay method or does that not work with these steels? I've heard a2 needs some kind of blow torch method and yet ats34, a full stainlees with more cromium can be clay backed? Just need clarification on what actully works and if you can get a visable hamon on either one of these steels.

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Old 06-08-2006, 04:41 AM
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mete mete is offline
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Normally you can't get a hamon on air hardening steels the hardenability is too high. You could get one by just heating the edge and quenching but then you won't come even close to achieving decent properties from the steel.
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Old 06-08-2006, 06:47 AM
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AUBE AUBE is offline
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ive gotten a line on both of those steels using the torch method mete mentioned but they didnt hold an edge nearly as well as they should during cutting tests (due to lack of soak times and the temp not being as accurate as it should be). i did some experimenting on clay backing with water and oil quenches and different soak times but after cracking a few and testing those that did not crack but they didnt do as well as they should during cutting i stopped messin with it and went back to 10xx series(which gets a far better looking line anyways)

you can also heat treat the whole thing normal then place the edge in water to keep it cool and heat up the spine with a torch to soften it but the line is real gradual..nothin fancy.
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Old 06-08-2006, 07:14 PM
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McAhron McAhron is offline
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I have wondered if you put it in refractory clay with only the edge sticking out if that would work.The clay would be placed in a 3" square piece of steel so there would be plenty of clay to deflect heat and stop the submerged steel from reaching critical.Its a project I'll try this summer.


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Old 06-08-2006, 07:48 PM
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Generally for the alloy rich steels, the high temps and long soaks required, make them unsuitable for differential hardening. You may get some lines on this type of steel trying to edge harden, but if you do, then the blade did not achieve "solution", nor did it fully harden. It's much less stress/grief on your part to just use a steel that lends itself to differential hardening.


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Old 06-17-2006, 07:31 PM
Ssj2 Ssj2 is offline
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So I guess the bottom line is yes these steels can be but there not going to come any where near the mechanical properties they should have heat treating it fully all the way thru.
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Old 07-30-2006, 02:34 PM
shgeo shgeo is offline
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One thing to keep in mind with some of the high alloy tool steels, like D2 and A2 (although some would call A2 medium alloy) is that they have peaks in impact strength at high rockwell hardness (HRC 60 for both of the above). Differential hardening would be self-defeating for either of these alloys.


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