How To Heat Treat A Knife: Heat Treating or Hardening Steel

Heat dealing with the steel on your knife blade is among the most crucial actions in producing and developing your knife. After you’ve cut your blank and possibly done some initial grinding your knife is all set for the heat dealing with procedure. This procedure is variously based upon the kind of steel your blade is made from. Some heat deals are basic enough that you can do it yourself. While others are intricate and not quickly done.

Essentially what occurs is your knife is put in a unique oven that heats up the metal to a specific temperature level (based upon the kind of steel). Throughout this procedure the steel goes through modifications: The steel ends up being non-magnetic, the carbon enters into service and combines with the steel, the crystalline structure of the steel modifications. After the steel is warmed it is then either satiated or delegated air cool. As soon as once again, this depends upon the kind of steel. Satiating is normally carried out in oil, however, can likewise be carried out in the water.

When this procedure is total the steel is incredibly difficult however extremely breakable. It is not yet appropriate for use as a knife.

The next action is called “Tempering”. Tempering includes warming the knife to lower temperature levels (400-degree variety) a number of times. This procedure decreases the brittleness of the steel.

There are likewise other procedures that can be done such as Normalizing and Cryo Treatment. Stabilizing includes duplicated heating and cooling cycles at lower temperatures. Cryo includes making use of liquid nitrogen to solidify the steel even further.

Can you do this by yourself?

Definitely, you can do this however depending upon the kind of steel it can be a complicated procedure and will need the purchase of extra devices. If you would rather refrain from doing this by yourself, there are numerous businesses that will do the heat reward service for you. Typically they will likewise do the tempering and a cryo treatment as part of the expense.