Ok. Do stress fractures come in groups, or can you just have one?

I've got a blade with some cracks that appear localized, and I was considering drilling them out in a decorative manner. Should the crack be considered a harbinger of a larger flaw in the steel, and the blade pounded out to scrap or practice metal?

Thanks!

Jim, I tend to file those in the " learning pile " , is this a problem with a particular batch of steel or is this a heat treating / forging issue ?

A good question. I'm inclined to think that the forging errors are mine. One set of the cracks, a little spider web, corresponds to an area that wasn't completely heated when I quenched the steel. The other crack is a mystery.

Thanks for the thoughts!

Generally if something went wrong, it went wrong. Especially if you don't know why I would not use it---However I do turn some of my "oops" into shop knives or for my personal use with the caveat that if it self destructs it's on my own head.

Cracks can start propagating from scratches that occur due to grinding - either before or after quench. They act as a stress riser and the amount of stress in a hardened blade can be significant. Not annealing between forging and hardening processes can also cause cracks.

H,
I think the amount of stress in a new knifemaker/blacksmith can be pretty significant, too. I'm beginning to think that God is telling me to be patient.

-J

The crack can and probably does go further than you can see. I'd chalk it up to experience and try again. It's a pain, but it's part of the proccess, too.

Jim you could also bend test/break the blade in half to see how your heat treat is doing. Whenever I mess up on a knife blade I usually experiment with it to see how well it cuts or holds up under stress.

Re heat and re shape?