heat treating tomahawk head >

[Lslite]

Want to try the small acorn bowl tomahawk head from RE Davis.The heads are 6150 carbon steel and need heat treating.Can anyone recomend a craftsman who would be willing to do this for a reasonable fee ?

 

[chipper]

I'll do it, but it's just as easy to do it yourself. I heat the hawk to a non magnetic state and then let it cool to black, 3 times. Use a file to polish one side of the head next for the following step. I then heat the head up to non magnetic and quench the first 1.5 - 2 inches of the blade in veggie oil. When the quenched area turns black I pull it from the oil and watch the temper draw back from the hot area that didn't get quenched. As soon as it reaches a dark straw/light brown, I quench the entire head until no bubbling. The final step I use the oven and do a 400 degree soak for one hour. The second temper is probably not necissary but I do it any way. The head can actually be softer the lt brown but I like to butcher with mine. I just made a hawk last weekend using an old file for the metal. It came out quite nice. I'm currently working on a handle for it.
Like I said, you cover the shipping both ways, I'll do it but why not try it yourself? You can probably get it hot enough with a couple of mapp gas torches and some veggie oil to quench it in and your all set.

Regards
Loyd Shindelbower
Loveland Colorado

 

[LRB]

How's it going Loyd? Loyd this is 6150 which is high chrome. It requires a ten minute soak at 1625o to get it into solution before quench, and get the best out of it. He's covered.

 

[pichou]

2 quick questions...

you quench again after the oven, right?

What do you think about used motor oil for quenching?

Thanks!
:hatsoff:

 

[T.C.Albert]

Im most likely wrong how I do it...but I use no quench after the oven soak...this draws the temper back so the steel is not so brittle...in fact, leaving a blade in the oven for repeated heat and cool cycles was recomended by a friend of mine...like during the entire Christmas cookie baking season if you can get away with it...

Clean motor oil works fine, but I was taught "non-detergent motor oil" was what you need to use, especially for springs (so I use veg oil now not knowing which brand of motor oils are currently "non-detergent")...and use a swirling motion as you quench so you dont warp the blade if its a knife...and it will make a flame, so stand by for that potential too.

Not to digress or hi-jack this, but after the oil quench, draw tempering a spring in molten lead works great. Set the spring on top of a cool ladle full of lead...apply heat till the lead is molten, remove the heat and let it cool to the touch and pry the spring loose, (it wont sink and stays on top ) ...this relaxes the temper enough to be tough but...well... still "springy"...just as the oven soak at 400 degrees sans quench relaxes the hawks bit temper enough to hold a tough, sharpenable edge that wont chip. At least thats how I understand things...
T.C.Albert

 

[chipper]

I quench only once and I use canola oil.
Here's the steps again.
1) Normalize 3 times

2) Quench in veggie oil > 120 degrees

3) Temper around 400 - 450

And what ever Wick says, he's the dude. I'm just the beginner.

Thanks for the input Wick.

Regards
Loyd

 

[LRB]

Pichou, ATF is much better than motor oil. ATF is formulated to be somewhat of a coolant as well as a lube, and these coolant properties are what is desired in a quench. You also need to know the properties of the steel you want to heat treat, in order to use the best quenchant. Simple steels, like the 10XX series, W1, W2, need only a short soak at temp, just a minute, or two, then a fast quench. Steels that are alloyed with chrome, in most cases, need a longer, and controlled temp soak, upwards of twenty minutes in some, then a slower quench. This speed of quench depends on the formulation of the quenchant. for example, with 1095, it needs to cool below 800o in the first second of of the quench, or it will not harden properly. If you cool 01 at that rate of drop in temp, it will likely break up, or crack before you can temper it. 01 needs to cool slowly to below 800o, or 900o in between eight to twelve seconds. In simple steels, the more carbon, the faster it needs to cool in quench. In alloyed steel, the more alloys, the longer it needs to soak at solution temperature before getting a slow quench. For home heat treating it is best to stick with the simple 10XX steels,or W1, W2, with the exception of 1095, which is just too prone to crack in quench. 1075, 1080, 1084, are the best if you do not have proper quench oil. The temperature for most steels to austenitize, or go into good solution, is generally 1475o, to 1525o, depending on the steel. This is well above non-magnetic, and in dim light is a red-orange range of color, although everyone sees color a little different. Once steel becomes non-magnetic, it needs to climb another 50o, to 75o degrees to really homogenize, and reach it's full potential in hardness, and carbon distribution. File testing will not tell you this. In most cases you are trying to get a hardness, after quench, of around 64, to 65 Rc. A common file will not cut steel beyond 58 Rc, so unfortunately, it really tells you little beyond that point. Stick with simple steels and you will probably end up with a decent blade.