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No problem, Duncan! --nathan

I think the main thing is to recognize that you need to have a stable temperature, and the knife should be at target temp before you start timing your soak. Other than that, it doesn't matter too much. Get to know your equipment and how it responds to various scenarios, and act accordingly...

I turn my oven on and let it soak at temp for 20-30 minutes after it gets to temp. This gets the oven heat soaked which results in a more stable oven interior with less temperature swing and makes sure the full interior is as close to set temp as possible. After this, I put my knife in and let...

Mike, look for my thread titled heat treating data sheets for some good info. Thought it would be a good sticky, but I'll just have to bump it to the top everynnow and then. --Nathan

The reason to put the blade in after the oven is at temp is to make sure the oven is heat soaked. It makes the temperature more uniform and stable within the oven. Ed, I can see then point about heat rising, but in a small confined space like an oven interior, time should be your equalizer...

Can't think of a better choice for this forum! Looking forward to this sub forum growing. --nathan

The following links are to technical data sheets in PDF format I have hosted on my website. Within you can find various information on the steel type including in most cases the proper heat treating parameters and equivalent RC hardness numbers. They have been collected from various places...

This is something I've been wanting to see for a long time: I'd like to see threads for proper heat treating recipes. The important thing is that it would have to be done right, and that would mean some more work for the moderators. What I'd like to see is a single thread for each commonly used...

Archer, check out my website for some pics of my PID controlled propane forge. If I had it to do over again, I'd do the same with the following exception: I'd find a better way to control the forge blower. Maybe a speed controller vs. a dimmer switch. As good as my forge runs, I don't even...

I'd like to see grain refinement with thermal cycling and then normalizing prior to heat treating for forged blades. --nathan

The way I polish out my hamons after etching is with red rouge. I take a disposable towel, wrap it around my sanding stick, and then spray it down with WD40. Then take a bar or red rouge, and scrape some fine shavings onto the towel and work them in with your finger. The WD40 helps to let it...

Hmmm...maybe we don't have the exact same ring. ;) But they sure do look alike. Probably made by the same folks. My wife just paid a bit more than you did. :D --nathan

BTW, I think you and I have the EXACT same wedding bands. Gotta love that stuff. --nathan

What a great piece of steel! Good job on coming up with an innovative solution and new pattern all at once. --nathan

This is VERY exciting news! I look forward to having another steel supplier to order from. And that's a great assortment of steels! Congrats! --nathan

I go from the oven to the plates. Once at room temp, I go straight to the liquid nitrogen over night, tempering after cryo as normal. Consider the cryo as part of your quench. Any significant amount of time before cryo will allow a good bit of the retained austenite to stabilize and not...

I have an evenheat and I love it. Many also love paragon ovens --nathan

Fast and reliable describes Ernie Grospitch very well. I've been using him for my stencils for a good while now. --nathan

Love that hamon! --nathan

No problem, and no offense taken. The length of katanas def helps in spreading out the stress of the bend over a long space where a typical "knife" will run in the order of 7-8" and most times 1/2 that. With a differentially hardened longer knife (a "typical" knife, not sword) blade of proper...