# Can you tell



## Tclem (Nov 6, 2015)

i read about grain structure or something like that when heat treating. So I bent one blade and snapped a couple. Maybe I'm getting the hang of it. I couldn't get a real good picture but can you tell if this is a good grain or do I know what I'm talking about


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## Kevin (Nov 6, 2015)

Tclem said:


> ... can you tell if this is ... good ...
> 
> 
> View attachment 90810



I can tell your fingers really are fat, so I think @SENC owes you a big time apology for unintentional misspellings. 

Fess up Hen . . . you thought he couldn't spell just because he is from Misisiipsiisii . . . .

Reactions: Funny 4


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## Tclem (Nov 6, 2015)

Kevin said:


> I can tell your fingers really are fat, so I think @SENC owes you a big time apology for unintentional misspellings.
> 
> Fess up Hen . . . you thought he couldn't spell just because he is from Misisiipsiisii . . . .


He owes me more than one

Reactions: Agree 2


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## NYWoodturner (Nov 6, 2015)

Cant tell anything from that pic Tony. Thats a pretty wild grain behind it!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Tclem (Nov 6, 2015)

NYWoodturner said:


> Cant tell anything from that pic Tony. Thats a pretty wild grain behind it!


Lol it's the best I could do. Phone won't focus enough. Gave it a try. Took me 10 min to get that. Lol. Oh well at least it snapped

Reactions: Funny 1


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## robert flynt (Nov 6, 2015)

If the blades bent and you didn't do a diffrential heat treat ( edge quench, clay wrap the spine, or used some other method to soften the spine ) the blade is probably not hard enough, if the steel is 1080. It is hard to explain what a fine grain structure and a coarse grain structure looks like but you can get your knife smith friend to show you. There are a number of things which will cause a course grain, getting the steel to hot and burning the carbon out is just one cause. I can't see what the blade you posted looks like but you should do a search on the subject to find some good pictures of grain structure so you can see what to look for.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## ripjack13 (Nov 6, 2015)

Serious question....do you have a magnifying glass? That would enhance the pic. You just need to hold it close to the lens and get it to focus. A larger one though not a jewlers loop....

Also a tip on the picture....use white paper as a background. There will be no glare, and the lens will focus on just the object not the surroundings. If you look at your picture you see that the lens has focused on the background not the object.....

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Tclem (Nov 6, 2015)

robert flynt said:


> If the blades bent and you didn't do a diffrential heat treat ( edge quench, clay wrap the spine, or used some other method to soften the spine ) the blade is probably not hard enough, if the steel is 1080. It is hard to explain what a fine grain structure and a coarse grain structure looks like but you can get your knife smith friend to show you. There are a number of things which will cause a course grain, getting the steel to hot and burning the carbon out is just one cause. I can't see what the blade you posted looks like but you should do a search on the subject to find some good pictures of grain structure so you can see what to look for.


The next two did snap. This is one of them. I think the first one got way to hot. It started sparkling bad. I wasn't paying attention. I did the edge quench on the next two including this one. I'm waiting on him to get back. He is off welding lol. I did three today that my file skated over the blades


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## Tclem (Nov 6, 2015)

ripjack13 said:


> Serious question....do you have a magnifying glass? That would enhance the pic. You just need to hold it close to the lens and get it to focus. A larger one though not a jewlers loop....
> 
> Also a tip on the picture....use white paper as a background. There will be no glare, and the lens will focus on just the object not the surroundings. If you look at your picture you see that the lens has focused on the background not the object.....


Thanks. I will see if I have one around.


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## Tclem (Nov 6, 2015)

This is my little set up


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## Foot Patrol (Nov 6, 2015)

Sparkling Bad! Carbon burning off.


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## Tclem (Nov 6, 2015)

Foot Patrol said:


> Sparkling Bad! Carbon burning off.


Yeah the first one. The mapp has got hot quicker than the propane. I wasn't paying attention


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## SENC (Nov 7, 2015)

Tclem said:


> I wasn't paying attention


Shocking.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## robert flynt (Nov 7, 2015)

Tclem said:


> The next two did snap. This is one of them. I think the first one got way to hot. It started sparkling bad. I wasn't paying attention. I did the edge quench on the next two including this one. I'm waiting on him to get back. He is off welding lol. I did three today that my file skated over the blades


Tony, if the blade sparkled when you took it out of the forge, it definitely has been overheated and you have burned the carbon out of it. The grain structure will be big on this blade and it has been ruined for sure. It is better to always heat treat inside or in dim light so you can see the color of the hot steel. By checking continually with a magnet and noting the color at non magnetic, over time, you will know what color to look for but never be distracted while you are doing your heat treating.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Informative 2


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## robert flynt (Nov 7, 2015)

Tclem said:


> This is my little set up
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Never leave you blade laying in the forge hold it with your tong and costantly move it move it forward and back as well as flip it over so you heat the blade evenly. This will also help prevent warpage. I have a hole in the other end of my forge so that I can pass the tip throught the other end. Since the tip is thinner it will will over heat while your getting the rest of the blade evenly heated.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Informative 1


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## Tclem (Nov 7, 2015)

robert flynt said:


> Never leave you blade laying in the forge hold it with your tong and costantly move it move it forward and back as well as flip it over so you heat the blade evenly. This will also help prevent warpage.


Will do. Thanks for the help again


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## Tclem (Nov 11, 2015)

@robert flynt so I got some peanut oil. It looks thinner. I moved blade in and out and non magnetic was not near where I had been letting it get to in color. It was orange but I've been getting it to a super bright orange. Quenched it and filed skated across it a million times better. Thanks again


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