Thread: Work Hardened Steel Is No Bueno

Originally Posted by Mike Blue

The temperature required to austenitize 1095 is much hotter than can be safely held in the hand even with big gloves on. I doubt it was the heat from grinding.

Depending on the type of drill bits/alloys they could have work hardened just the hole. Good sharp cobalt or carbide is kind of where we all evolve to after years of trying various things on the cheap.

What kind of stainless? That it forges is interesting.

It's also possible that the two materials are different enough that your annealing ritual for 1095 isn't enough for the stainless slabs.

100% correct - but I didn't grind it holding with gloves. I had to use a 200Lb (strength) hand held magnet. That was enough to get past the stainless and magnetically pull the high carbon steel enough to keep it sticking to the magnet. I use that, because very much hate burning my hands during pre-heat treat grinding. I figure that heat is not really a problem until after temper. That's when the gloves come off and I grind bare handed, to make sure I don't get things so hot they lose temper. Prior to that? I'll grind until flames shoot out! (lol!)

The stainless is a 403. I picked that, as it forges pretty darn well. It won't harden when I heat treat the blade. I'll be hardening to the 1095, and won't be getting the steel hot enough to harden the 403.

Annealing is done in a kiln with pyrometer - taken to 1575, then slow cooled for the next 12 hours. I had a few billets in with it - I'll see how those cut later this week and if they hardened, that that will be the culprit!

I'm thinking though, that perhaps the initial drill may have hardened just the hold. That bit was a cobalt and I was wrenching on it. Kept having to add cutting oil as I was drilling, until that bad boy snapped. The other four bits are cheapo backup bits I keep around for when I kill a cobalt to have something on hand as I wait for the replacement. It's a good possibility I did it to myself in just the drilling...

Just finished the initial rough grind of the razor at 36 grit - You can see how hot I get the core steel before temper here. You can see there the 1095 is darkening, and the stainless has not discolored.

I think I'm leaning towards perhaps the initial drilling hardened it. Even with the magnet, I just could not imagine the steel getting hot enough to austenitize. That thought was blowing my mind, for sure.