5/2/2017 DifferentialheattreatmentWikipedia

Differentialheattreatment
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Differentialheattreatment(alsocalledselectiveheattreatmentorlocalheattreatment)isatechniqueused
duringheattreatingtohardenorsoftencertainareasofasteelobject,creatingadifferenceinhardnessbetween
theseareas.Therearemanytechniquesforcreatingadifferenceinproperties,butmostcanbedefinedaseither
differentialhardeningordifferentialtempering.Thesewerecommonheattreatingtechniquesusedhistoricallyin
EuropeandAsia,withpossiblythemostwidelyknownexamplebeingfromJapaneseswordsmithing.Some
modernvarietiesweredevelopedinthetwentiethcenturyasmetallurgicalknowledgeandtechnologyrapidly
increased.

Differentialhardeningconsistsofeithertwomethods.Itcaninvolveheatingthemetalevenlytoaredhot
temperatureandthencoolingitatdifferentrates,turningpartoftheobjectintoveryhardmartensitewhiletherest
coolsslowerandbecomessofterpearlite.Itmayalsoconsistofheatingonlyapartoftheobjectveryquicklyto
redhotandthenrapidlycooling(quenching),turningonlypartofitintohardmartensitebutleavingtherest
unchanged.Conversely,differentialtemperingmethodsconsistofheatingtheobjectevenlytoredhotandthen
quenchingtheentireobject,turningthewholethingintomartensite.Theobjectisthenheatedtoamuchlower
temperaturetosoftenit(tempering),butisonlyheatedinalocalizedarea,softeningonlyapartofit.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Differentialhardening
2.1 Bladesmithing
2.1.1 Insulationcoatings
2.1.2 Quenching
2.1.3 Metallography
2.1.4 Decorativehardening Adifferentiallyhardenedsword,
2.1.5 Benefitsanddrawbacks showingthehardenededgeasthe
3 Moderndifferentialhardening whiterportionoftheblade.
3.1 Flamehardening
3.2 Inductionhardening
4 Differentialtempering
4.1 Blacksmithing
4.1.1 Gradeoftemper
4.1.2 Guidingtheheat
4.2 Bladesmithing
4.2.1 Guidingtheheat
4.2.2 Metallurgy
4.2.3 Benefitsanddrawbacks
5 Seealso
6 References
7 Bibliography
8 Externallinks

Introduction

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_heat_treatment 1/9
5/2/2017 DifferentialheattreatmentWikipedia

Differentialheattreatmentisamethodusedtoalterthepropertiesofvariouspartsofasteelobjectdifferently,
producingareasthatareharderorsofterthanothers.Thiscreatesgreatertoughnessinthepartsoftheobjectwhere
itisneeded,suchasthetangorspineofasword,butproducesgreaterhardnessattheedgeorotherareaswhere
greaterimpactresistance,wearresistance,andstrengthisneeded.Differentialheattreatmentcanoftenmake
certainareasharderthancouldbeallowedifthesteelwasuniformlytreated,or"throughtreated".Thereareseveral
techniquesusedtodifferentiallyheattreatsteel,buttheycanusuallybedividedintodifferentialhardeningand
differentialtemperingmethods.

Duringheattreating,whenredhotsteel(usuallybetween1,500F(820C)and1,600F(870C))isquenched,it
becomesveryhard.However,itwillbetoohard,becomingverybrittlelikeglass.Quenchedsteelisusuallyheated
again,slowlyandevenly(usuallybetween400F(204C)and650F(343C))inaprocesscalledtempering,to
softenthemetal,therebyincreasingthetoughness.However,althoughthissofteningofthemetalmakestheblade
lesspronetobreaking,itmakestheedgemoresusceptibletodeformationsuchasdulling,peening,orcurling.[1]

Differentialhardeningisamethodusedinheattreatingswordsandknivestoincreasethehardnessoftheedge
withoutmakingthewholebladebrittle.Toachievethis,theedgeiscooledfasterthanthespinebyaddingaheat
insulatortothespinebeforequenching.Clayoranothermaterialisusedforinsulation.Topreventcrackingand
lossofsurfacecarbon,quenchingisusuallyperformedbeforebeveling,shaping,andsharpeningtheedge.[2][3]It
canalsobeachievedbycarefullypouringwater(perhapsalreadyheated)ontotheedgeofabladeasisthecase
withthemanufactureofsomekukri.DifferentialhardeningtechnologyoriginatedinChinaandlaterspreadto
KoreaandJapan.ThistechniqueismainlyusedintheChinesejianandthekatana,thetraditionalJapanesesword,
andthekhukuri,thetraditionalNepaleseknife.Mostbladesmadewiththistechniquehavevisibletemperlines.
Thismethodissometimescalleddifferentialtempering,butthistermmoreaccuratelyreferstoadifferent
technique,whichoriginatedwiththebroadswordsofEurope.

Modernversionsofdifferentialhardeningweredevelopedwhensourcesofrapidlyheatingthemetalweredevised,
suchasanoxyacetylenetorchorinductionheating.Withflamehardeningandinductionhardeningtechniques,the
steelisquicklyheatedtoredhotinalocalizedareaandthenquenched.Thishardensonlypartoftheobject,but
leavestherestunaltered.

Differentialtemperingwasmorecommonlyusedtomakecuttingtools,althoughitwassometimesusedonknives
andswordsaswell.Differentialtemperingisobtainedbyquenchingthesworduniformly,thentemperingonepart
ofit,suchasthespineorthecenterportionofdoubleedgedblades.Thisisusuallydonewithatorchorsomeother
directedheatsource.Theheatedportionofthemetalissoftenedbythisprocess,leavingtheedgeatthehigher
hardness.[4]

Differentialhardening
Bladesmithing

Differentialhardening(alsocalleddifferentialquenching,selectivequenching,selectivehardening,orlocal
hardening)ismostcommonlyusedinbladesmithingtoincreasethetoughnessofabladewhilekeepingveryhigh
hardnessandstrengthattheedge.Thishelpstomakethebladeveryresistanttobreaking,bymakingthespine
verysoftandbendable,butallowsgreaterhardnessattheedgethanwouldbepossibleifthebladewasuniformly
quenchedandtempered.Thishelpstocreateatoughbladethatwillmaintainaverysharp,wearresistantedge,
evenduringroughusesuchasfoundincombat.

Insulationcoatings

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_heat_treatment 2/9
5/2/2017 DifferentialheattreatmentWikipedia

Adifferentiallyhardenedbladewillusuallybecoatedwithaninsulating
layer,likeclay,butleavingtheedgeexposed.Whenitisheatedtoredhot
andquenched,theedgecoolsquickly,becomingveryhard,buttherest
coolsslowly,becomingmuchsofter.[5][6]Theinsulationlayerisquiteoften
amixtureofclays,ashes,polishingstonepowder,andsalts,whichprotects
thebackofthebladefromcoolingveryquicklywhenquenched.[7][8]The
clayisoftenappliedbypaintingiton,coatingthebladeverythicklyaround
thecenterandspine,butleavingtheedgeexposed.Thisallowstheedgeto
coolveryquickly,turningitintoaveryhardmicrostructurecalled
martensite,butcausestherestofthebladetocoolslowly,turningitintoa
softmicrostructurecalledpearlite.Thisproducesanedgethatis
exceptionallyhardandbrittle,butisbackedupbysofter,toughermetal.
Theedge,however,willusuallybetoohard,soafterquenchingtheentire
bladeisusuallytemperedtoaround400F(204C)forashorttime,to
bringthehardnessoftheedgedowntoaroundHRc60ontheRockwell
Diagramofacrosssectionofa
hardnessscale.[5]
katana,showingthetypical
Theexactcompositionoftheclaymixture,thethicknessofthecoating,and arrangementoftheharderandsofter
eventhetemperatureofthewaterwereoftencloselyguardedsecretsofthe zones.
variousbladesmithingschools.[8]Withtheclaymixture,themaingoalwas
tofindamixturethatwouldwithstandhightemperaturesandadheretothebladewithoutshrinking,cracking,or
peelingasitdried.Sometimesthebackofthebladewascoatedwithclay,leavingtheedgeexposed.Othertimes
theentirebladewascoatedandthentheclaywascutawayfromtheedge.Anothermethodwastoapplytheclay
thicklyatthebackbutthinlyattheedge,providingalesseramountofinsulation.Bycontrollingthethicknessof
theedgecoatingalongwiththetemperatureofthewater,thecoolingrateofeachpartofthebladecanbe
controlledtoproducetheproperhardnessuponquenchingwithouttheneedforfurthertempering.[7][8]

Quenching

Oncethecoatinghasdried,thebladeisheatedslowlyandevenly,to
preventthecoatingfromcrackingorfallingoff.Afterthebladeisheatedto
thepropertemperature,whichisusuallyjudgedbythecherryredglow
(blackbodyradiation)oftheblade,itwillchangeintoaphasecalled
austenite.Bothtohelppreventcrackingandtoproduceuniformityinthe
hardnessofeacharea,thesmithwillneedtoensurethatthetemperatureis
even,lackinganyhotspotsfromsittingnexttothecoals.Topreventthis,
thebladeisusuallykeptinmotionwhileheating,todistributetheheat
moreevenly.Quenchingisoftendoneinlowlightconditions,tohelp
accuratelyjudgethecoloroftheglow.Typically,thesmithwillalsotryto
avoidoverheatingthebladetopreventthemetalliccrystalsfromgrowing Thecurvingofakatanaduring
toolarge.Atthistimethebladewillusuallybeplungedintoavatofwater quenchingfirstbeginswitha
oroil,toquicklyremovetheheatfromtheedge.Theclay,inturn,insulates downwardbendastheedgecools,
followedbyanupwardbendasthe
thebackoftheblade,causingittocoolslowerthantheedge.[5]
restoftheswordcools.
Whentheedgecoolsfastadiffusionlesstransformationoccurs,turningthe
austeniteintoveryhardmartensite.Thisrequiresatemperaturedropfromaround750C(cherryred)to450C(at
whichpointthetransformationiscomplete)inlessthanasecondtopreventtheformationofsoftpearlite.Because
therestofthebladecoolsslowly,thecarbonintheaustenitehastimetoprecipitate,becomingpearlite.The
diffusionlesstransformationcausestheedgeto"freeze"suddenlyinathermallyexpandedstate,butallowsthe
backtocontractasitcoolsslower.Thistypicallycausesthebladetobendorcurveduringquenching,astheback
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_heat_treatment 3/9
5/2/2017 DifferentialheattreatmentWikipedia

contractsmorethantheedge.Thisgivesswordslikekatanaandwakizashitheircharacteristiccurvedshapes.The
bladeisusuallystraightwhenheatedbutthenbowsasitcoolsfirstcurvingtowardtheedgeasitcontracts,and
thenawayfromtheedgeasthespinecontractsmore.Withslashingtypeswords,thiscurvaturehelpstofacilitate
cutting,butincreasesthechancesofcrackingduringtheprocedure.Uptoonethirdofallswordsareoftenruined
duringthequenchingprocess.[9]However,whenthesworddoesnotcrack,theinternalstressescreatedhelp
increasethetoughnessoftheblade,similartotheincreasedtoughnessintemperedglass.[10]Theswordmayneed
furthershapingafterquenchingandtempering,toachievethedesiredcurvature.[6]

Caremustbetakentoplungetheswordquicklyandvertically(edgefirst),forifonesideentersthequenching
fluidbeforetheotherthecoolingmaybeasymmetricandcausethebladetobendsideways(warp).Because
quenchinginwatertendstocauseasuddenlossofsurfacecarbon,theswordwillusuallybequenchedbeforethe
edgeisbeveledandsharpened.Afterquenchingandtempering,thebladewastraditionallygivenaroughshape
withadrawknifebeforesendingtoapolisherforsharpening,[11]althoughinmoderntimesanelectricbeltsander
isoftenusedinstead.

Metallography

Differentialhardeningwillproducetwodifferentzonesofhardness,whichresponddifferentlytogrinding,
sharpening,andpolishing.Thebackandcenterofthebladewillgrindawaymuchquickerthantheedge,sothe
polisherwillneedtocarefullycontroltheangleoftheedge,whichwillaffectthegeometryoftheblade.An
inexperiencedpolishercanquicklyruinabladebyapplyingtoomuchpressuretothesoftenedareas,rapidly
alteringtheblade'sshapewithoutmuchchangetothehardenedzone.[12]

Althoughboththepearliteandmartensitecanbepolishedtoamirrorlike
shine,onlythebackandspineareusuallypolishedtosuchanextent.The
hardenedportionoftheblade(yakiba)andthecenterportion(hira)are
oftengivenamattefinishinstead,tomakethedifferencesinthehardness
standout.Thiscausesthevariousmicrostructurestoreflectlightdifferently
whenviewedfromdifferentangles.Thepearlitetakesonlonger,deeper
scratches,andeitherappearsshinyandbright,orsometimesdark
dependingontheviewingangle.Themartensiteishardertoscratch,sothe
microscopicabrasionsaresmaller.Themartensiteusuallyappearsbrighter
yetflatterthanthepearlite,andthisislessdependentontheviewing
angle.[12]Whenpolishedoretchedwithacidtorevealthesefeatures,a
Akatana,shownatalongangleto
distinctboundaryisobservedbetweenthemartensiteportionoftheblade
revealthenioi,whichisthebright
andthepearlite.Thisboundaryisoftencalledthe"temperline",orthe
linefollowingthehamon.Theinset
commonlyusedJapaneseterm,the"hamon".Betweenthehardenededge
showsacloseupofthenioi,which
andthehamonliesanintermediatezone,calledthe'"nioi"inJapanese,
appearsasthespeckledareabetween
whichisusuallyonlyvisibleatlongangles.Thenioiisaboutamillimeter
thebrighthardenededgeandthe
ortwowide,followingthehamon,whichismadeupofindividual
darkersoftzone.Thewoodgrain
martensitegrains(niye)surroundedbypearlite.Thenioiprovidesavery
appearanceisfromthefolding
toughboundarybetweentheyakibaandthehira.[13] techniquesusedduringforging.

Decorativehardening

InJapan,fromthelegendarytimeofthefamoussmithAmakuni,hamonswereoriginallystraightandparallelto
theedge,butbythetwelfthcenturyAD,smithssuchasShintogoKunimitsubeganproducinghamonswithvery
irregularshapes,whichprovidedbothmechanicalanddecorativebenefits.BythesixteenthcenturyAD,the
Japanesesmithsoftenoverheatedtheirswordsslightlybeforequenching,toproduceratherlargeniyeforaesthetic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_heat_treatment 4/9
5/2/2017 DifferentialheattreatmentWikipedia

purposes,eventhoughalargergrainsizetendedtoweakentheswordabit.Duringthistime,greatattentionbegan
tobepaidinJapantomakingdecorativehamons,bycarefullyshapingtheclay.Itbecameverycommonduring
thiseratofindswordswithwavyhamons,flowersorcloversdepictedinthetemperline,rat'sfeet,trees,orother
shapes.Bytheeighteenthcentury,decorativehamonswereoftenbeingcombinedwithdecorativefolding
techniquestoproduceentirelandscapes,completewithspecificislands,crashingwaves,hills,mountains,rivers,
andsometimeslowspotswerecutintheclaytoproduceniyefarawayfromthehamon,creatingeffectssuchas
birdsinthesky.[14]

Benefitsanddrawbacks

Althoughdifferentialhardeningproducesaveryhardedge,italsoleavestherestoftheswordrathersoft,which
canmakeitpronetobendingunderheavyloads,suchasparryingahardblow.Itcanalsomaketheedgemore
susceptibletochippingorcracking.Swordsofthistypecanusuallyonlyberesharpenedafewtimesbefore
reachingthesoftermetalunderneaththeedge.However,ifproperlyprotectedandmaintained,thesebladescan
usuallyholdanedgeforlongperiodsoftime,evenafterslicingthroughboneandflesh,orheavilymattedbamboo
tosimulatecuttingthroughbodyparts,asisiniaido.[15]

Moderndifferentialhardening
Flamehardening

Flamehardeningisoftenusedtohardenonlyaportionofanobject,by
quicklyheatingitwithaveryhotflameinalocalizedarea,andthen
quenchingthesteel.Thisturnstheheatedportionintoveryhardmartensite,
butleavestherestunchanged.Usually,anoxygastorchisusedtoprovide
suchhightemperatures.Flamehardeningisaverycommonsurface
hardeningtechnique,whichisoftenusedtoprovideaverywearresistant
surface.Acommonuseisforhardeningthesurfaceofgears,makingthe
teethmoreresistanttoerosion.Thegearwillusuallybequenchedand
temperedtoaspecifichardnessfirst,makingamajorityofthegeartough,
andthentheteetharequicklyheatedandimmediatelyquenched,hardening
onlythesurface.Afterward,itmayormaynotbetemperedagainto Aflamehardenedtimingsprocket.
achievethefinaldifferentialhardness.[16] Thediscolorationaroundtheteeth
indicatethemetalthatwasheatedand
Thisprocessisoftenusedforknifemaking,byheatingonlytheedgeofa quenched,withtheheataffectedzone
previouslyquenchedandtemperedblade.Whenedgeturnsthepropercolor visibleasathinlayerbetweenitand
temperature,itisquenched,hardeningonlytheedge,butleavingmostof theringoftemperingcolors.
therestofthebladeatthelowerhardness.Theknifeisthentemperedagain
toproducethefinaldifferentialhardness.[17]However,unlikeabladethat
hasbeenevenlyheatedanddifferentiallyquenched,flamehardeningcreatesaheataffectedzone.Unlikethenioi,
theboundarybetweenthehotandcoldmetalformedbythisheataffectedzonecausesextremelyrapidcooling
whenquenched.Whencombinedwiththestressesformed,thiscreatesaverybrittlezonebetweenthehardand
softermetal,whichusuallymakesthismethodunsuitableforswordsortoolsthatmaybesubjectedtoshearand
impactstresses.[18]

Inductionhardening

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_heat_treatment 5/9
5/2/2017 DifferentialheattreatmentWikipedia

Inductionhardeningisasurfacehardeningtechniquewhichusesinductioncoilstoprovideaveryrapidmeansof
heatingthemetal.Withinductionheating,thesteelcanbeheatedveryquicklytoredhotatthesurface,beforethe
heatcanpenetrateanydistanceintothemetal.Thesurfaceisthenquenched,hardeningit,andisoftenused
withoutfurthertempering.Thismakesthesurfaceveryresistanttowear,butprovidestoughermetaldirectly
underneathit,leavingthemajorityoftheobjectunchanged.Acommonuseforinductionhardeningisfor
hardeningthebearingsurfaces,or"journals",onautomotivecrankshaftsortherodsofhydrauliccylinders.[19]

Differentialtempering
Differentialtempering(alsocalledgradedtempering,selectivetempering
orlocaltempering)istheinverseofdifferentialhardening,toultimately
producesimilarresults.Differentialtemperingbeginsbytakingsteelthat
hasbeenuniformlyquenchedandhardened,andthenheatingitinlocalized
areastoreducethehardness.Theprocessisoftenusedinblacksmithingfor
temperingcuttinginstruments,softeningtheback,shaft,orspine,but Aplaningchiselbeingdifferentially
simultaneouslytemperingtheedgetoaveryhighhardness.Theprocess tempered,showingthecolorsmoving
wasverycommoninancientEurope,formakingtools,butsoonwas acrossthelong,flatsectionbetween
appliedtoknivesandswordsaswell.[20] theshaft(blue)andthecuttingedge
(yellow).
Blacksmithing

Themostcommonusefordifferentialtemperingwasforheattreatingcuttingtools,suchasaxesandchisels,
whereanextremelyhardedgeisdesired,butsomemalleabilityandspringinessisneededintherestofthetool.A
chiselwithaveryhardedgecanmaintainthatedgelongerandcuthardermaterials,but,iftheentirechiselwastoo
hard,itwouldshatterunderthehammerblows.Differentialtemperingwasoftenusedtoprovideaveryhard
cuttingedge,buttosoftenpartsofthetoolthataresubjecttoimpactandshockloading.[21]

Beforeatoolisdifferentiallytempered,itisfirstheatedtoredhotandthenquenched,hardeningtheentiretool.
Thismakesthetoolmuchtoohardfornormaluse,sothetoolistemperedtoreducethehardnesstoamoresuitable
point.However,unlikenormaltempering,thetoolisnotheatedevenly.Instead,theheatisappliedtoonlyapartof
thetool,allowingtheheattothermallyconducttowardthecoolercuttingedge.Thequenchedsteelisfirstsanded
orpolished,toremoveanyresidualoxidation,revealingthebaremetalunderneath.Thesteelisthenheatedina
localizedarea,suchasthehammeringendofachiselorthehandleendofanaxe.Thesmiththencarefullygauges
thetemperaturebywatchingthetemperingcolorsofthesteel.Asthesteelisheated,thesecolorswillform,
rangingfromyellowtobrown,purple,andblue,andmanyshadesinbetween,andwillindicatethetemperatureof
thesteel.Asheatisapplied,thecolorswillformneartheheatsource,andthenslowlymoveacrossthetool,
followingtheheatasitconductstowardtheedge.[22]

Beforetheyellowor"lightstraw"colorreachestheedge,thesmithremovestheheat.Theheatwillcontinueto
conduct,movingthecolorstowardtheedgeforashorttimeaftertheheatisremoved.Whenthelightstrawcolor
reachestheedge,thesmithwillusuallydipthesteelinwater,tostoptheprocess.Thiswillgenerallyproducea
veryhardedge,aroundHRc5860ontheRockwellscale,butwillleavetheoppositeendofthetoolmuchsofter.
Thehardnessofthecuttingedgeisgenerallycontrolledbythechosencolor,butwillalsobeaffectedprimarilyby
thecarboncontentinthesteel,plusavarietyofotherfactors.Theexacthardnessofthesoftenddependsonmany
factors,butthemainoneisthespeedatwhichthesteelwasheated,orhowfarthecolorsspreadout.Thelight
strawcolorisveryhard,brittlesteel,butthelightblueissofterandveryspringy.Beyondthebluecolor,whenthe
steelturnsgrey,itismorelikelytobeverymalleable,whichisusuallyundesirableinachisel.Ifthesteelistoo
softitcanbendormushroom,plasticallydeformingundertheforceofthehammer.[22]

Gradeoftemper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_heat_treatment 6/9
5/2/2017 DifferentialheattreatmentWikipedia

Unlikewithdifferentialhardening,indifferentialtemperingthereisnodistinctboundarybetweentheharderand
softermetals,butthechangefromhardtosoftisverygradual,formingacontinuum,or"grade"(gradient),of
hardness.However,higherheatingtemperaturescausethecolorstospreadless,creatingamuchsteepergrade,
whilelowertemperaturescanmakethechangemoregradual,usingasmallerportionoftheentirecontinuum.The
temperingcolorsonlyrepresentafractionoftheentiregrade,becausethemetalturnsgreyabove650F(343C),
makingitdifficulttojudgethetemperature,butthehardnesswillcontinuetodecreaseasthetemperature
rises.[23][24]

Guidingtheheat

Heatinginjustonearea,liketheflatendofacenterpunch,
willcausethegradetospreadevenlydownthelengthofthe
tool.Becausehavingacontinuousgradealongthelengthof
theentiretoolisnotalwaysdesired,methodsofconcentrating
thechangehavebeendevised.Atoollikeachiselmaybe
heatedquicklybutevenlyalongtheentireshaft,temperingitto Adifferentiallytemperedcoldchisel
apurpleorbluecolor,butallowingtheresidualheattoquickly
conductashortdistancetotheedge.Anothermethodistoholdtheedgeinwater,keepingitcoolastherestofthe
toolistempered.Whenthepropercolorisreached,theedgeisremovedfromthewaterandallowedtotemper
fromtheresidualheat,andtheentiretoolisplungedinthewaterwhentheedgeturnsthepropercolor.However,
heatinginlocalizedareaswithsuchlowtemperaturesmaybedifficultwithlargeritems,likeanaxeorasplitting
maul,becausethesteelmaylosetoomuchheatbeforeitcanconducttotheedge.Sometimesthesteelisheated
evenlytojustbelowthedesiredtemperature,andthendifferentiallytempered,makingiteasiertocontrolthe
temperaturechange.Anotherwayistopartiallyembedthesteelinaninsulator,likesandorlime,preventingtoo
muchheatlossduringtempering.

Bladesmithing

Eventually,thisprocesswasappliedtoswordsandknives,to
producemechanicaleffectsthatweresimilartodifferential
hardening,butwithsomeimportantdifferences.To
differentiallytemperablade,itisfirstquenchedtohardenthe
entirebladeevenly.Thebladeisthenheatedinalocalized
area,allowingtheheattoflowtowardtheedge.Withsingle Adifferentiallytemperedsword.
edgedblades,theblademaybetemperedwithfireoratorch.
Thebladeisheatedalongthespineandtangonly,allowingtheheattoconducttotheedge.Theheatwillneedto
beappliedevenly,allowingthecolorstospreadevenlyacrosstheblade.However,withdoubleedgedblades,the
heatsourcewillusuallyneedtobemorepreciselylocalizedbecausetheheatmustbeappliedevenlyalongthe
centeroftheblade,allowingittoconducttobothedges.Often,aredoryellowhotbarisusedtosupplytheheat,
placingitalongthecenteroftheblade,typicallyfittedintoafuller.[25]Moderngastorchesoftenhavetheabilityto
produceverypreciseflames.Topreventtoomuchheatlossintheblade,itmaybepreheated,partiallyinsulated,or
sandwichedbetweentworedhotbars.Whenthepropercolorreachestheedge,itisimmersedinwatertostopthe
process.[26]

Guidingtheheat

Differentialtemperingcanbemademoredifficultbytheshapeoftheblade.Whentemperingadoubleedged
swordwithataperalongitslength,thetipmayreachthepropertemperaturebeforetheshankdoes.Thesmithmay
needtocontrolthetemperaturebyusingmethodslikepouringwateralongcertainpartsoftheedge,orcoolingit
withice,causingthepropertemperaturetoreachtheentireedgeatthesametime.Inthisway,althoughitisless
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_heat_treatment 7/9
5/2/2017 DifferentialheattreatmentWikipedia

timeconsumingthandifferentialhardeningwithclay,oncetheprocessstartsthesmithmustbevigilant,carefully
guidingtheheat.Thisleaveslittleroomforerror,andmistakesinshapingthehardenedzonecannoteasilybe
corrected.Thisismadeevenmoredifficultiftheknifeorswordhasacurve,anoddshape,orasharplytaperedtip.
Swordstemperedinthismanner,especiallydoubleedgedswords,willgenerallyneedtoberatherwide,allowing
roomforagradienttoform.Howeverdifferentialtemperingdoesnotaltertheblade'sshape.[27]

Metallurgy

Whenasword,knifeortoolisevenlyquenched,theentireobjectturnsintomartensite,whichisextremelyhard,
withouttheformationofsoftpearlite.Temperingreducesthehardnessinthesteelbygraduallychangingthe
martensiteintoamicrostructureofvariouscarbides,suchascementite,andsofterferrite(iron),forminga
microstructurecalled"temperedmartensite".Whentemperinghighcarbonsteelintheblacksmithmethod,the
colorprovidesageneralindicationofthefinalhardness,althoughsometrialanderrorisusuallyrequiredtomatch
therightcolortothetypeofsteeltoachievetheexacthardness,becausethecarboncontent,theheatingspeed,and
eventhetypeofheatsourcewillaffecttheoutcome.Withouttheformationofpearlite,thesteelcanbe
incrementallytemperedtoachievetheproperhardnessineacharea,ensuringthatnoareaistoosoft.[28]Inarming
swords,forinstance,becausethebladeistypicallyratherwideandthin,abladecanbepronetobendingduring
combat.Ifthecenterofthebladeistoosoft,thisbendingmaylikelybepermanent.However,iftheswordis
temperedtoaspringyhardness,itwillbemorelikelytoreturntoitsoriginalshape.[27]

Benefitsanddrawbacks

Aswordtemperedthiswaycannotusuallyhaveanedgeashardasadifferentiallyhardenedsword,likeakatana,
becausethereisnosoftermetaldirectlyunderneaththeedgetobackupthehardermetal.Thismakestheedge
morelikelytochipawayinlargerpieces.Therefore,suchanextremelyhardedgeisnotalwaysdesirable,as
greaterhardnessmakestheedgemorebrittleandlessresistanttoimpacts,suchascuttingthroughbones,shaftsof
polearms,hittingshieldsorblockingandparrying.Theswordwilloftenbetemperedtoslightlyhigher
temperaturestoincreasetheimpactresistanceatacostintheabilitytoholdasharpedgewhencutting.Theedge
mayneedtobetemperedtodarkstraworbrowntoachievethis,andthecentertemperedtoablueorpurplecolor.
Thisleavesverylittledifferencebetweentheedgeandthecenter,andthebenefitsofthismethod,overtempering
theswordevenlyatapointsomewhereinthemiddle,maynotbeverysubstantial.Whenaswordtemperedinthis
wayisresharpenedthehardnesswilldecreasewitheachsharpening,althoughthereductioninhardnesswill
usuallynotbenoticeableuntilalargeamountofsteelhasbeenremoved.[27]

Seealso
Casehardening
Shotpeening

References
1.KnifeTalkII:TheHighPerformanceBladeByEdFowlerKrausePublications2003p.115
2.JamesDrewe(28February2009).TijJin32PostureSwordForm.SingingDragon.pp.11.ISBN978184819011
5.Retrieved11November2012.
3.RichardCohen(5August2003).BytheSword:AHistoryofGladiators,Musketeers,Samurai,Swashbucklers,and
OlympicChampions.RandomHouseDigital,Inc.pp.124.ISBN9780812969665.Retrieved11November2012.
4.HowtoMakeYourOwnSteelKnifes(sic)(http://www.primitiveways.com/ptknives1.html).Primitiveways.com.
Retrievedon20121111.
5.KnifeTalkII:TheHighPerformanceBladeByEdFowlerKrausePublications2003pp.114115

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_heat_treatment 8/9
5/2/2017 DifferentialheattreatmentWikipedia

6.NOVA|SecretsoftheSamuraiSword(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/secretssamuraisword.html).Pbs.org.
Retrievedon20121111.
7.JapanseSwordmakingProcess~www.samuraisword.com(http://www.samuraisword.com/REFERENCE/making/japanse
_swordmaking_process.htm).Samuraisword.com.Retrievedon20121111.
8.Smith,p.49
9."NOVA|SecretsoftheSamuraiSword".pbs.org.Retrieved27May2014.
10."InternationalConference".jsme.or.jp.Retrieved27May2014.
11.Smith,pp.4952
12.Smith
13.Smith,pp.4952
14.Smith,pp.41,5051
15.TheMedievalSwordintheModernWorldByMichael'Tinker'Pearce2007p.39
16.Prabhudev,pp.394400
17.BladesGuidetoMakingKnivesByJoeKertzmanKrausePublications2005p.47
18.SteelMetallurgyfortheNonMetallurgistByJohnD.VerhoevenASMInternational2007p.51
19.Prabhudev,pp.400407
20.Prabhudev,p.101
21.TheCompleteModernBlacksmithByAlexanderWeygersTenSpeedPress1997
22.BlacksmithingBasicsfortheHomesteadByJoeDeLaRondeGibbsSmith2008p.101
23.FractureMechanics:FourteenthSymposiumSTP791BytheAmericanSocietyforTestingandMaterialsASTM
1983pp.148150
24.HeatTreater'sGuide:PracticesandProceduresforIronsandSteelsByHarryChandlerASMInternationalpp.9899
25.TheArtofBlacksmithingbyDanW.BealerCastleBooks1969Page359
26.TheWonderofKnifemakingByWayneGoddardKrausePublications2011pp.4748
27.TheMedievalSwordintheModernWorldByMichael'Tinker'Pearce2007pp.39,112
28.Advancedmaterials&processes,Volume149BytheAmericanSocietyofMetalsASMInternationalp.114

Bibliography
Prabhudev,K.H.(1988).HandbookOfHeatTreatmentOfSteels.TataMcGrawHillEducation.ISBN978
0074518311.Retrieved11November2012.
Smith,CyrilStanley(September2012).AHistoryofMetallography:TheDevelopmentofIdeasonthe
StructureofMetalsBefore1890.LiteraryLicensing,LLC.ISBN9781258473365.Retrieved
11November2012.

Externallinks
ClayingbladesDifferentialhardeningwithclay(http://www.engnath.com/claytemp.htm)

Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Differential_heat_treatment&oldid=757535715"

Categories: Metalheattreatments

Thispagewaslasteditedon31December2016,at06:15.
TextisavailableundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionShareAlikeLicenseadditionaltermsmayapply.
Byusingthissite,youagreetotheTermsofUseandPrivacyPolicy.Wikipediaisaregisteredtrademark
oftheWikimediaFoundation,Inc.,anonprofitorganization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_heat_treatment 9/9