Heat Treating D2 Tool Steel Knife

D2 has been widely used for many years in cold work applications requiring very high wear resistance.
Heat treating d2 tool steel knife. This video shows the steps and materials needed to heat treat d2 steel. Once wrapped place in the furnace and heat to 1850f. Heat treating d2 tool steel to begin. A mix of carbon and iron that is often enriched with other elements to improve certain characteristics depending on the desired application.
History of o1 steel in knives. Steel is essentially an alloy i e. The chemical content for d2 tool steel is 1 4 1 6 carbon 0 60 manganese 11 00 13 00 chromium 0 30 nickel 1 10 vanadium and 0 70 1 20 molybdenum. D2 is an air hardening high carbon high chromium tool steel heat treatable to hrc 60 62.
D2 tool steel is a versatile high carbon high chromium air hardening tool steel that is characterized by a relatively high attainable hardness and numerous large chromium rich alloy carbides in the microstructure. The primary use of this steel is for making stamping dies that cut steel pieces out of other softer steels. This complex mixture makes proper heat treatment of aisi d2 more complex than the heat treatment of other simple and tool steels. Alongside edge geometry and design blade steel is a critical element that determines how a knife performs.
These carbides provide good resistance to wear from sliding contact with other metals and abrasive materials. It has been popular with both forging bladesmiths and stock removal knifemakers due to its wide availability in a range of sizes and ease in forging and heat treating. Be careful to not tear or puncture the wrap. Wrap the piece in stainless steel tool wrap and leave an extra two inches on each end of the package this will be for handling purposes.
In choosing the best pocket knife you should pay particular attention to the type of steel used in the blade. Because o1 became a very popular tool steel it is relatively difficult to determine who used it in knives first. The steel has a high chromium content 11 to 13 percent and relatively high amounts of molybdenum 7 to 1 2 percent vanadium 1 1 percent cobalt 1 percent and other elements.