# Concerning steel annealing



## norman vandyke (Aug 28, 2015)

How do I do this? From what I read, I just need to get the steel going red hot, then show to cool without quenching. Unless it is stainless steel. That has to be heated much hotter and cooled quicker? What kind of steel are dewalt circular contractor saw blades make of? I have lots of them to practice knife making with.


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## Kevin (Aug 28, 2015)

@robert flynt


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## Dennis Ford (Aug 28, 2015)

I strongly suspect the blades are some type of carbon steel, this can be verified with a spark test. Heating to red hot and slow cooling will soften most steels although some heavily alloyed steels require special equipment. Getting the steel as soft as possible requires knowing details and precise temperature control but this is not needed for general use.


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## Jschrum (Aug 28, 2015)

The newer sawblades are nearly impossible to even guess at what type of steel they are. I'm sure they are a medium-high carbon but I would not even know where to guess. The old buzz saw blades are generally 1075-1095, and this they seem to be random but with a lot of them in the 1084ish range. I've had several of these tested and those are my results. I've yet to come across an L6 one, which is what most people claim that they are. As for the new ones, I have no idea. 

To anneal steel at home, I recommend you get it above nonmagnetic. Much like when you are about to quench it, and hold it there for a couple of minutes. Once you have let it soak for a bit, stick it in a large bucket with wood ashes. (I usually take a file and get it glowing and stick it in there too, this helps keep the heat longer) Let the steel sit in the bucket until fully cooled, usually 8+hours. I will forge out several knives consecutively and have 5-6 in my ash bucket and it will still be warm the following day. This slow cooling is what anneals it. 
@Dennis Ford made all good points. If you aren't sure if its even a high carbon, do a simple spark test. There is a lot of info on them, they are good guessing tool.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 3 | Informative 1


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## robert flynt (Aug 28, 2015)

Another way to test it, is to heat a sample to non magnetic and quench it in oil. then see if a file will skate across the edge and or put it in a vice, wearing safety glasses hit it with a hammer. it should break easily and not bend at all. This will tell you whether it can be used to make a knife. If you don't have any wood ash go to your garden center and get a bag of vermiculite and put it in a old tool box or something. Vermiculite is a mineral that will no burn and is a good insulation to slow cool a blade for annealing purposes.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Informative 2


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## Strider (Sep 2, 2015)

Nothing new to add. temperature indication with a magnet...hold for several minutes, then put it in ash or hang them by the tang...the slower the cooling, the softer it is. Try two pieces, cool one a bit faster, like putting it on something flat, and the other one in the ashes. You'll be amazed. But for full softening, anneal it in the kiln. Turn off the kiln and let it cool down with it. the slower the temperature fall, the softer it will be.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Jschrum (Sep 3, 2015)

I did a test today just to compare the two. I had two blades of the same steel type. O1 round stock to be specific. I took one and after forging heated it to non magnetic and put in ashes. The other one I let go to black then stuck in the ashes. Its absolutely incredible how much it affects it. So I reheated it this afternoon and reannealed it so I could work it without messing anything up. It air hardened to a state that was so hard it would skate a file. Pretty good experiment to try.


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## Strider (Sep 5, 2015)

It was easy, right? Glad you made it. Now any knife will be a piece of pie


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