# d2 tool steel for knife (need hardening info)



## Pierre Couture (Oct 28, 2004)

spearhunter03 said:


> i'm starting a new project and am planning on using d2 tool steel. how much harder is it to harden and temper as compared to 1095 or Q1. i've already orderd the steel so no turning back now.


For one, it's air-hardening since it has enough chromium content, and fouling up the heat treat will more likely ruin the steel than O-1 or possibly 1095. You will need something like a Paragon heat-treat furnace to get it right, which will make it more costly too. Might need to look up someone like Paul Bos for heat-treat.


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## spearhunter03 (Feb 12, 2009)

i stayed up late last night looking around and finally came up with preheat 1500, then 20min. soak at 1850, quench till blade at 1000 then let air cool. as soon as it can be handled it needs to go in the oven for tempering and tempered at least twice. 

i kind of screwed up when i ordered i was gonna get Q1, but read about how great d2 was.

btw, thanks for quick response.


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## Barehunter (Feb 10, 2007)

Just made a D2 knife myself. I sent it to Texas Knife Supply and had it professionally heat treated. I was very pleased with their service and results.
http://www.texasknife.com/vcom/privacy.php#services
If you use them, it is best to get it there on a Monday. They heat treat on Tuesday. Turn around time is about a week.


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## spearhunter03 (Feb 12, 2009)

thats where i ordered steel from. i orderd a kit from them befor and jst though i would tackle the whole thing this time. i guess i can hold of on the d2 and get something elso for a 1st one. i'd really like to do the whole process myself. i'm sure if i harden and heat treat myself it will still be a great knife, but i jst wonder how much of difference it will make having it done professionally.


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## Squawsach (Apr 26, 2008)

These guys have a good price for O1.

http://www.amtektool.com/


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## spearhunter03 (Feb 12, 2009)

squawsach it seems as though you are trying to steer me away from using d2. do you know something i don't? amtektool has good prices, but it looks like it's already been hardend. wouldn't i have to anneal it first to make it workable?

i jst wonder if anyone has had to courage to heat treat d2 in their own home made rigs and how they turned out. maybe i can pick up a tip or two instead messing up on the first try(which may very well happen anyways).


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## Big DnTN (Mar 9, 2009)

*Heattreating D2*

I use to make tooling out of D2 and I have made some knives from D2. You really need a carbon lined furnace to heattreat D2 or you will cook all the carbon out of the steel. If you have a furnace you can buy atmosphere bags for heatreating. If I still had access to a furnace I would do it for you but I do not, Sorry. You research is correct for the heat cycle. You can look in McMaster Carr they have an assortment of tool steels that you can heat treat with standard home tools. Hope this helps:smile:


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## Pierre Couture (Oct 28, 2004)

There are also products which can be sprayed on the steel prior to hardening, insulating it against oxygen. Look up in Jantz Supply, Texas Knifemaking supply and the others, it's easily available.


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## mongoosesnipe (Apr 3, 2009)

send it of to be professionally heat treated other than simple steal like 1095 the heat treat and tempering will be quite complicated most costom makers who use high end steels use a heat treat service


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## mongoosesnipe (Apr 3, 2009)

but if you realy want to do it your self this is the procedure

AISI D-2 (AIRDI® 150) TOOL STEEL
Typical Analysis

Carbon	Chromium	Vanadium Manganese	Molybdenum	Silicon
D-2 1.55%	11.50%	0.90%	0.35% 0.80%	0.45%
154-CM 1.03%	13.75%	0%	0.25%	3.50% 0.41%

D-2 for Planer Blades

Carbon +	Chromium +	Vanadium + + Nickel	+ Tungsten	All others
1.67%	12.27%	1.13%	0.27% 0.25%	same


AIRDI® 150 is the outstanding high Carbon, high Chromium tool steel for general use.
The most important characteristic of this air hardening die steel is its resistance to abrasion.
The change of size during hardening is negligible. AIRDI® 150 may also be hardened in oil from slightly lower hardening temperature than when air cooled, but the movement in hardening is slightly greater when oil quenched.
"D" series steels are classed as Cold Work Tool Steels, high Carbon high Chromium type.
Not all are the same. Some have more Carbon or Molybdenum, some have Cobalt or Nickel and Tungsten, some left out Silicon.

Applications
Blanking, drawing, forming, coining, lamination, thread rolling and trimming dies, burnishing tools, gauges, lathe centers, punches.
Forging
Heat slowly and uniformly to 2000 - 2100 degrees F. Do not forge below 1700 degrees F. Reheat if necessary. Cool slowly from the forging temperature in furnace, ashes or lime. Critical temperature 1490 degrees F. Annealing
AIRDI® 159 should always be annealed after forging and before re hardening.
Heat uniformly to 1100 - 1850 degrees F, hold at temperature for 2 hrs and cool slowly in the furnace at a maximum rate of 50 degrees F per hour below 1200 degrees F, than air cool.
For cycle annealing, heat to 1100 -1850 degrees F, hold at temperature for 2 hrs, cool to 1450 degrees F and hold at this temperature for 4 - 6 hrs. It is very important that actual temperatures of the steel be maintained instead of just furnace temperatures; otherwise unsatisfactory results may be obtained. The steel may than be cooled in air if required.
Cycle ( isothermal) annealing is most practical for applications in which full advantage may be taken of the rapid cooling to the transformation temperature, and from this temperature down to room temperature. Thus, for small parts which can be handled in salt or lead baths, or light loads in batch type furnaces, cycle annealing makes possible large time savings as compared with conventional slow furnace cooling. The method offers no particular advantage for applications such as bath annealing of large furnace loads in which the rate of cooling to the center of load may be so slow as to preclude any rapid cooling to the transformation temperatures. For such applications, the conventional full annealing method usually offers a better assurance of obtaining the desired microstructure and properties.
Hardening
Equalize at preheating temperature of 1450 - 1500 degrees F, than raise temperature to 1825 - 1875 degrees F, soak, and cool in air.
This hardening temperature is critical, overheated blade will not get as hard as it should.
It requires a 20 minutes of soaking time at the hardening temperature prior to air cooling.
In order to prevent any possibility of recarburization, it is desirable to use a controlled atmosphere furnace. When this is not available, pack hardening is recommended. Wrap parts in paper and pack in a container with an inert material such as clean dry cast iron chips or 6 - 8 mesh size spent pitch coke. Tools also may be wrapped in stainless steel foil to prevent contamination.
The interrupted oil quench may be used on large sections, or certain parts which require a very fine surface after hardening and on which the slight scaling caused during the air cooling from the hardening temperature may be objectionable. If this interrupted quench method is used, quench from 1800 degrees F in oil, but remove from the oil when parts have reached approximately 1000 - 1100 degrees F (dull Red) and allow to cool from this temperature in air until below 150 degrees F or to a temperature at which the tool may be comfortably held in bare hands. Which this method slightly greater distortion in hardening may be expected.
Tempering
AIRDI® 150 should be tempered as soon as the parts are cool enough to handle in bare hands.
The usual temperature employed is 400 - 98% degrees F, but this may be varied to suit the needs. Tempering time should be 3 - 5 hours. Sections over 3" should be tempered a minimum of 1 hr per inch. Double tempering is recommended.


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## spearhunter03 (Feb 12, 2009)

i guess i'll be sending it off; atleast it will give me a little more time to find a toaster oven somewhere cheap. next one tho, i'm doing it all.


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## Hammer0419 (Nov 21, 2005)

Do your grinding and send it off the Paul Bos at Buck Knives. There is good and then there is the best. He is the best to heat treat your knife. D2 makes a SUPER blade. Do a search and check out comments from people about Bob Dozier. His D2 knives are second to none. What ever he does he takes his blades to another level.


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## 31matthew (Dec 2, 2008)

*d-2 steel*

I have worked in a machine shop for 16 years and we use D-2 a lot on punches and die sections. The way we heat treat is first, wrap it in a stainless steal bag (foil wrap), then place it in a furnace at 1875 degrees. Let it soak, depending on thickness of material, for blades about 50 min to 1 hour. Remove it from the furnace and carefully empty the bag. Then we use compressed air to cool it untill the red color goes away. Let it cool to the touch, then the important thing is to "draw" it back to the desired hardness. This is important with D-2 because if you let it sit, sometimes just overnight, before "drawing" it back, D-2 will keep getting harder untill it cracks.


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## Bologna Xpress (Jan 3, 2007)

mongoosesnipe said:


> send it of to be professionally heat treated other than simple steal like 1095 the heat treat and tempering will be quite complicated most costom makers who use high end steels use a heat treat service



1085, 1084, is about the easiest steel there is to get a good heat treat by simple, and common methods, and makes very fine blades. 1095 is a very difficult steel to heat treat properly, and most of those that try, do not end up with a better blade than 1084/85. Many end up with lesser quality, no matter what they claim. 1095 has more carbon, but requires a very precise heat treat, that few really accomplish. Basicly, you have hypereutectoid steel, and hypoeutectoid steel. The eutectoid is .85% of carbon. Iron will only absorb .85% of carbon. The left over carbon needs to be evenly distributed in order for it to help with edge holding, or it has little use, and if not evenly distributed, can collect in the grain boundaries, causing weak spots, and hard and soft areas. 1084/85, is right on the line, and will absorb nearly all the carbon in a well distributed manner, with ease. 1095, is slightly superior, if heat treated properly, but there lies your problem. Was it really? Common methods used for most simple steels will not do the job.


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## Barry66 (Mar 10, 2008)

31Mathews is right on. The only thing you dont have to do is cool it with compressed air. Just let it cool naturally and than draw it back at 500 degrees. I would recomend drawing it twice. If you have a local machine shop around, they might be able to harden for you. Good luck.


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## Pierre Couture (Oct 28, 2004)

One little detail:

If your blade warps a bit after the original heat treat, straighten it right away before drawing it, while it's still warm. Otherwise, it will stay warped...


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