I have been working on some stainless knives & kitchen items and want to understand the hardening process for stainless better - I have read some specifications for this process, but, wondered if anyone had any experience. I am forging the material, after an annealing fire. From what I've read, I have to "solution treat (which I interpret as annealing) the pieces after I've worked them, before they can be hardened, then heating the pieces to 850-900 degrees F and holding from 1 to 4 hours, then air cooled (have access to a small kiln for this).
I've read some of the related topics that recommend not working in stainless for knives, but, these pieces will left in kitchen sinks or proximity to water, so stainless element is important. I understand that the hardness achievable isn't what can be achieved in high carbon steel, but, for the application the stainless hardening treatment should be fine. Also, my understanding is that the precipitation hardening after work, restores some of the corrosion resistance. So the treatment seems critical to finishing the pieces. Thoughts?