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AWoodworkersGuidetoToolSteelandHeatTreating
Everwonderbywhatmagicsteelcanbemadeeitherhardorsoft?Metoo.Afterhardeningmy
firstplaneiron,Idecidedtofindout.Thispageistheresultofmyresearch.Whilethereare
dozensofdifferenttoolsteelformulations,theonlyonewithwhichIhaveanyexperienceisO1
OilHardeningToolSteel.IuseO1forthefollowingreasons:

Itscheapandreadilyavailable
Ithasoneofthelowesthardeningtemperaturesofalltoolsteels,lendingitselftohomeshopheattreating
Ithasgoodresistancetowarpingduringquenching
MachinerysHandbookrecommendsO1for"toolswithkeenedges(knives,razors)"and"toolsforoperations
wherenohighspeedisinvolved,yetstabilityinheattreatingandsubstantialabrasionresistanceareneeded"

Inthefollowingdiscussions,theterms"steel","toolsteel",and"carbonsteel"shouldbeunderstoodasreferringtoO1.
Whilethephysicalchangesandphaserelationshipsinheattreatingaresubstantiallythesameforalltoolsteels,the
temperaturesrequired(andotherphysicalproperties)varywidelyaccordingtocomposition.Notealsothatotherfluids
(water,air)besidesoilareusedtoquenchdifferenttoolsteels,andtemperingproceduresalsodiffer.

ChemicalCompositionofO1ToolSteel PhysicalPropertiesofO1ToolSteel
Iron 97.1% Hardening(F) 14501500
Carbon 0.90% (C) 788816
Chromium 0.50% Tempering(F) 350550
Manganese 1.00% (C) 177228

Tungsten 0.50% HardnessRange(Rc) 6458

Definitions:
AnnealingSofteningthetoolsteelforworking,byheatingtothehardeningtemperatureandcoolingslowly.Slow
coolingcanbeaccomplishedbyburyingthesteelinaninsulatingmediumsuchaslimeorvermiculiteandallowingitto
cooltoroomtemperature.

HardeningHeatingthesteeltothehardeningtemperatureandcoolingsuddenlybyquenchinginanoilbath.

TemperingReheatingthehardenedsteeltothetemperingtemperatureinordertorelievestressinducedinthe
hardeningprocess,andremovesomeofthehardnessinexchangefortoughness.Untempered,hardenedtoolsteelis
nearlyasbrittleasglass.

WhatHappensDuringHeatTreatingofToolSteel?
CarbonandIronexisttogetherinseveraldifferentphases,dependingonCarbonpercentageandtemperature.AFeC
phasediagramshowstheserelationships.Fourphasesareimportantforourdiscussion:

ferrite
cementite
austenite
martensite

Notethatthediagramshownisonlyforthesteelportionofthesystem.Forcarboncontentsof26.67%,thealloyis
castiron.Above6.67%carbon,thealloyconsistsofcementiteandgraphite.

Analloyconsistingofexactly0.76%Carbonand99.24%Fehasthelowesttemperatureatwhichtheconversionfrom
ferriteandcementitetoaustentiteiscomplete.Thisisknownasaeutectoidsteel.IncreasingCarbonabovethis
amount,aswellastheadditionofotheralloyingelements,alsoincreasesthetemperatureofcompletephase
transformation(i.e.,hardening).

Fullyannealedcarbonsteelconsists,inadditiontoimpuritiesandotheralloyedelements,ofamechanicalmixtureof
ironandironcarbide.Theirontakesthecrystallineformferrite,andtheironcarbidetakesthecrystallineform
cementite.Theoverallstructureconsistsofbandsofthesetwocomponentsandisknownaspearlite.Inthisstatethe
steelissoftandworkable.

Asthesteelisheatedabovethecriticaltemperature,about1335F(724C),itundergoesaphasechange,
recrystallizingasaustenite.Continuedheatingtothehardeningtemperature,14501500F(788843C)ensures
completeconversiontoaustenite.Atthispointthesteelisnolongermagnetic,anditscolorischerryred.
http://www.threeplanes.net/toolsteel.html Iftheausteniticsteeliscooledslowly 1/4
5/11/2017 AWoodworker'sGuidetoToolSteelandHeatTreating
Iftheausteniticsteeliscooledslowly
(theprocessknownasannealing),it
willreturntothepearlitestructure.If,
however,itiscooledsuddenlyby
quenchinginabathofoil,anew
crystalstructure,martensite,is
formed.Martensiteischaracterizedby
anangularneedlelikestructureand
veryhighhardness.

Whilemartensiticsteelisextremely
hard,itisalsoextremelybrittleand
willbreak,chip,andcrumblewiththe
slightestshock.Furthermore,internal
stressesremaininthetoolfromthe
suddenquenchingthesewillalso
facilitatebreakageofthetool.
Temperingrelievesthesestressesand
causespartialdecompositionofthe
martensiteintoferriteandcementite.
Theamountofthispartialphase
changeiscontrolledbythetempering
temperature.Thetemperedsteelis
notashardaspuremartensite,butis
muchtougher.

Effectsofalloyingelements
ontoolsteelproperties:
Si mpl i fi edF e CP haseDi agram( Steel P orti on)
Carbon:Raisingcarboncontent
increaseshardnessslightlyandwearresistanceconsiderably.
Manganese:SmallamountsofofManganensereducebrittlenessandimproveforgeability.Largeramountsof
manganeseimprovehardenability,permitoilquenching,andreducequenchingdeformation.
Silicon:Improvesstrength,toughness,andshockresistance.
Tungsten:Improves"hothardness"usedinhighspeedtoolsteel.
Vanadium:Refinescarbidestructureandimprovesforgeability,alsoimprovinghardnessandwearresistance.
Molybdenum:Improvesdeephardening,toughness,andinlargeramounts,"hothardness".Usedinhighspeed
toolsteelbecauseit'scheaperthantungsten.
Chromium:Improveshardenability,wearresistanceandtoughness.
Nickel:Improvestoughnessandwearresistancetoalesserdegree.

Includingtheseelementsinvaryingcombinationscanactsynergistically,increasingtheeffectsofusingthemalone.

TypesoftoolsteelotherthanO1:
TheAandDseries(A2,D2,etc)containmorechromiumandarethusmorewearresistant.TheSseriescontainmore
siliconandarethusmoreshockresistant.TheMandTseriescontaineithermoreMolybdenumorTungsten,andsoare
highspeedsteels,withmuchgreaterhotstrength.Alloftheserequiresubstantiallyhighertemperaturesforhardening
thanO1,andarenotreallysuitableforhomeshophardening.

Whytreattoolsteelcryogenically?
Insomealloytoolsteels,significantamountsofaustenitearenotconvertedtomartensiteonquenching.Thisis
particularlytrueofA2andD2thesesteelsarechosenforedgetoolsfortheirhigherwearresistance,whichis
lessenedbytheretainedaustenite.Becauseausteniteisnotstableatroomtemperatures,itgraduallyconvertsto
martensiteoveraperiodoftimebutwe'retalkingyears,alittletoolongtobepractical.Sosupercoolingthe
quenched,tempered,steelspeedstheconversiontoamatterofhours.Thetoolisthenretemperedafterthecryogenic
treatment,andstudiesshowthatthisresultsinsubstantiallyincreasedwearresistance.Becausethemartensitic
transformationismorecompleteinO1,cryogenictreatmentisnotnecessaryforthattoolsteel.

ToolSteelColorvsTemperature
Steelexhibitsdifferentcolorsdependingontemperature.
2000F Brightyellow 1093C Temperaturesabove800F(427C)produceincandescent
1900F Darkyellow 1038C colorstheatomsinthesteelaresoenergizedbyheatthatthey
giveoffphotons.Temperaturesbelow800F(427C)produce
1800F Orangeyellow 982C oxidationcolors.Asthesteelisheated,anoxidelayerformson
1700F Orange 927C thesurfaceitsthickness(andthustheinterferencecoloras
lightisreflected)isafunctionoftemperature.Thesecolorsmay
1600F Orangered 871C beusedintemperingtoolsteel.
1500F Brightred 816C

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5/11/2017 AWoodworker'sGuidetoToolSteelandHeatTreating

1400F Red 760C

1300F Mediumred 704C
Ifcolorsareaproblem:
1200F Dullred 649C
It'snotalwayspracticaltousecolortodeterminetemperature.
1100F Slightred 593C Fivetotenpercentofthemalepopulationarecolorblind
1000F Veryslightred,mostlygrey 538C further,colorsofhotsteelaremuchhardertojudgeinthesunif
youdoyourheattreatingoutdoors,whichyoushouldunlessyou
0800F Darkgrey 427C haveaventilationhoodandchimneyinyourshop.Tempering
0575F Blue 302C canbedoneinanovenwithanaccuratethermometer.For
hardeningtemperature,thereareseveralsolutions:
0540F DarkPurple 282C
0520F Purple 271C Magnetism:Rememberthat,atthecriticaltemperature,when
thephasechangetoaustenitebegins,thesteelwillbecomenon
0500F Brown/Purple 260C magnetic.
0480F Brown 249C
Pyrometers:Whilegoodpyrometersareexpensive,atypeK
0465F DarkStraw 241C thermocouplecanbepurchasedforafewbucksataglass
0445F LightStraw 229C makingorceramicssupplyshop.Plugitintoadigital
multimeter,downloadamillivolttotemperaturechartforthe
0390F FaintStraw 199C
thermocouple,andyou'reallset.I'vedonethis,passingthethermocouplethroughasmallholeinthesideofmygas
forge,anditseemsprettyaccurate.Someonlineresources:

BuildingaPyrometer
TypeKThermocoupleMillivoltstoF

Tempilstiks:Tempilstiksarecolorcodedcrayonswhichareguaranteedtomeltwithin1%oftheirratedtemperature.
Availableinawiderangeoftemperaturesupto2500F,theycanbepurchasedatblacksmith/forgesupplydealers
(onlineatCentaurForge).

GuidetoHardeningandTemperingO1ToolSteel
Startwithannealedsteel.Atthisstagethesteelissoftenoughtoworkwithafile.Doallofyourshapingnow.Ifyou're
makinganedgetool,however,don'tgrindasharpedgeyetstopjustshortofsharp,leavingitblunt.

(Asharpedgeduringheattreatingwillintroduceunwantedstressesintothetool.)

Usinganappropriateheatsource(orBuildingtheReilBurner),heatthesteeltothecritical
temperature.Howdoyouknowwhenyoureachthecriticaltemperature?Austenite,theiron/carbon
crystalstructurethatformsabovethecriticaltemperature,isnonmagnetic.Ikeepanoldmagnet
heldinapairofvicegripshandywhenhardening.Whenthesteelishotenough,themagnetwon't
stick.Atthispoint,thesteelischerryred.
Smallgasforgewith
Now,removethesteelfromtheheatandimmediatelyquenchinoil.Any selfaspiratedburner
kindofoilwillsufficeI'vequenchedwithusedmotoroil,butnowprefer
cheapvegetableoilinametal5gallonpail.(I'dratherbethinkingoffrenchfriesthananoil
burningmotor.)Whenyouplungetheredhotsteelintotheoil,doitverticallyifyouplunge
itinatanangle,itwillwarp.Agitateitcarefullyintheoil,inanupanddownmotiona
stirringmotionmayalsocausewarping.It'simportanttokeep
The itmovingtoreplenishtheoilonthesurfaceofthesteel
imageactuallyshowsdark otherwiseavaporlayerwillformresultinginaslowerthan
yellowapproachingbright desirablequench.Ifthequenchistooslow,thetoolwon'tbe
yellowthecherryredcanbe hardenough.Keepthesteelintheoiluntiltheoilstops
seenfurtherdowntheblade. bubbling.

Assoonasthesteeliscoolenoughtohandle,wipeitoffandtestitshardness.Ifyou've
donerightsofar,afilewon'tbiteit'lljustskateofftheedgeofthetool.Ifit'splenty
hardenough,it'stimetotemperit'simportanttotemperassoonaspossibleafterthe
quench.Youcanjustputthetoolintheovenifyoutrustitstemperaturesetting(maybe
adecentthermometerwouldbeagoodinvestment),oryoucantemperthewaysmiths
dobyheatingthetooluntilitreachestherightcolor.Inordertoseeoxidationcolors, AlthoughitlookslikeI'mgoinginat
you'llhavetoshineupthetoolonsomecoarseemorypaper.We'renottalkingmirror anangleinthepicture,thetongsare
finishherejustenoughtoexposethebaremetal(maybeuptoabout220grit).Now, grippingthetoolatthesameangle,
usinganappropriateheatsource,carefullyheatthetoolfromthenonbusinessedge. andtheactuallymotionofthetool,
Theideaistosoftentowardthecuttingedge,sothecuttingedgewillbeharderthanthe andmyarm,isvertical.
otherendofthetool.Forexample,aknifewouldbeharderatitsedgethanalongits
backthebackwouldbetemperedmoretogiveitflexibility.Asthetoolheatsup,thefirstcoloryoushouldseeisa
faintstrawcolor.Keepheatingandallowthiscolortospreadtowardthecuttingedge.Justasitreachesthecutting
edge,plungethetoolintosomewatertopreventitfromtemperingtoomuch.You'redoneifthetoolisaplaneironor
chiselallyouhavetodonowisflattenthebackandsharpenit.Foratoolthatneedsmoretoughness(less
brittleness),likemaybeacoldchisel,youshouldtemperalittlehigher.Forrealflexibility,likeaspring,goalltheway
toblue.

HardnessvsTemperingTemperature
Tempering Tempering Approximate
Temperature Temperature Hardness
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5/11/2017 AWoodworker'sGuidetoToolSteelandHeatTreating

F C Rc
300 149 63/65
350 177 62/64
400 204 61/63
450 232 60/62
500 260 58/60
600 316 55/57
700 371 51/53
800 427 48/40
900 482 44/47
1000 538 40/44

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TheMetallargyofCarbonSteel
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SteelandToolMakingbefore1870
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BrentBeach's'TestingPlaneIrons'
Bladesteels,steelanalysis,andheattreatingmethods
HeatTreating
Heatreat
UniversityofManchesterInternetMicroscope

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CopyrightPeterLBerglund,2006.Allrightsreservedcontentmaynotbereproducedwithoutpermissionofauthor.

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