01-12-2018, 08:45 AM
not on purpose. an early knife, that did not have a good temper, was dropped and broke into 3 pieces. was putting on a new handle and had the tang break while trying to open pin hole.
i do not have the equipment to evaluate the testing. the grinder, the etching solutions, a microscope. even with this equipment, all you can tell is grain size and maybe carbide distribution. I make kitchen knives. what useful information have I gained if I find that hitting the spine with a 3 pound hammer can force the blade thru a cinder block?
the basic high carbon steels used in knives, W1/1095, O1, O7, & 52100 have been used and tested by industry for a long time. you read what is out there and some common information on heat treat and performance shows up. when these steels are heated to 1485*F, +/-15*F, held at that temperature long enough to heat thru/stabilize, quenched in oil(W1/1095 need very fast oil), tempered twice for an hour at 350*F to 400*F they have finest grain size, least size change, best combination of hardness, charpy toughness, and torsional toughness.
i do not have the equipment to evaluate the testing. the grinder, the etching solutions, a microscope. even with this equipment, all you can tell is grain size and maybe carbide distribution. I make kitchen knives. what useful information have I gained if I find that hitting the spine with a 3 pound hammer can force the blade thru a cinder block?
the basic high carbon steels used in knives, W1/1095, O1, O7, & 52100 have been used and tested by industry for a long time. you read what is out there and some common information on heat treat and performance shows up. when these steels are heated to 1485*F, +/-15*F, held at that temperature long enough to heat thru/stabilize, quenched in oil(W1/1095 need very fast oil), tempered twice for an hour at 350*F to 400*F they have finest grain size, least size change, best combination of hardness, charpy toughness, and torsional toughness.