File knife without annealing

[LeanMachine]

Sam, if you do grind to final edge before heating, be very careful. With the material that thin it is very easy to melt the edge. I have done that more than once making broadheads.

[paintman]

And don't forget to keep an eye on your temperature of the your quenching oil; 2 times this month during the normalizing process I looked down and it was at 160 or higher.... Then it's time unplug my pot and sit and wait until it cools to temp. (makes me feel like a dummy)

Ive got a good one.quenching more than one blade makes the oil get above 120 real fast.figured this out the hard way

[dkstephen]

Looks good

[SamHarper]

Sam, if you do grind to final edge before heating, be very careful. With the material that thin it is very easy to melt the edge. I have done that more than once making broadheads.

Well, how do you do it? If you leave some thickness on the edge while heat treating, how do you make the edge after heat treating? Do you use a file, or do you just grind at a low speed and cool it frequently?

The knife I showed at the beginning of the thread, I ground the whole thing without it being annealed. I just tempered it in the oven. I don't think I ever got it hot enough to ruin the temper, even when I was putting the edge on it. It took a long time, though.

[SamHarper]

Ive got a good one.quenching more than one blade makes the oil get above 120 real fast.figured this out the hard way

What do you do if you want to heat treat several knives in one round? If you put all the knives in the forge or kiln or whatever you use, and you quench one, won't have have to worry about grain growth while you're waiting for the oil to cool? Or do you not do multiple knives at a time? I'm just trying to be efficient. Since I don't have a gas forge or an electric kiln, heat treating has been kind of an occasion. I use a charcoal/coal forge.

[SamHarper]

Hey, chopsknives, would it help anything if I stuck it in the freezer after quenching instead of dry ice and acetone?

[LeanMachine]

I get it very close to a final edge but not quite. If you harden it properly, you will not be able to remove material with a file afterwards. Just grind it slow and dunk it in water often. You should not be removing enough material to worry about getting it to hot unless you get crazy.

This is how I was taught to do it by a renowned knifesmith who has done knives in the $5k range.

[LeanMachine]

I was also taught to lay a brass welding rod flat and, holding the knife perpindiclar to rod and at about a 30 degree angle to the tabletop, press the knife edge downward and roll it along the rod from tip to hilt. If the steel is too soft, the edge will roll up and stay up. If too hard, it will break off. If just right, it will roll up and then return to true when pressure is removed. You need a fine edge to do this.

[Puggy625]

Hey, chopsknives, would it help anything if I stuck it in the freezer after quenching instead of dry ice and acetone?

No, your freezer won't get any where cold enough to help it. From everything I've read, you looking to get it down to at least -100 degrees and lower to do any good.