October 9, 201510 yr I've made a few knives and lots of flint and steel strikers.Some of the knives are 1084 and some are 1095. The strikers were made from worn out files.The blade are about 6 inches long not counting the tang. Some hidden tang, some full tang. The blade height is usually about one inch. I would like to try making a knife with the spine hard enough to throw sparks when struck with a piece of flint.Does anyone have a suggestion how to heat treat a blade so the edge and spine are hard and leave some softer steel near the middle to reduce the overall brittleness?
October 9, 201510 yr My first thought would be using clay over the central part of the blade allowing for a differential hardening. I've never tried this so I cannot attest to how it would or wouldn't work.
October 9, 201510 yr I have a vague memory of an article in which daggers were quenched with a heavy bar clamped on both sides.
October 9, 201510 yr selective temper the middle much softer....Steve, forgive my ignorance but how would one do that on a blade that small? I think I know how to do something like it on a much bigger blade.
October 9, 201510 yr Forgot to hit send again!A red hot bar or a small torch flame keeping the edges quenced to slow the tempering of the edges.
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