I hope I didn't put this in the wrong section, but while at work musing about heat treating, decarburization specifically, I wondered if coating the pieces to be heat treated with flux would help prevent decarburization. 

I did a search here, but didn't find anything specific to using flux as a decarb preventative. 

I don't imagine it would hurt anything, and would think it a thin enough layer to not affect the cooling curve of the quench, but I'm quite new at this...

 

Has anyone used this "method" before? If so, what sort of results did you have?

In his book; "the hand forged knife" Karl Schroen describes using a saturated borax solution to lightly coat his blades before heat treatment.

I'm thinking that fluxing for heat treat has more to do with scale prevention than decarb.  But that's more of a guess on my part.

My thought process was that coating the blade with flux would create an oxygen barrier, or at least restrict access to the blade while heating... 

 

Again, I'm quite new so this is all just half-baked theories of mine lol

38 minutes ago, Jim Kehler said:

In his book; "the hand forged knife" Karl Schroen describes using a saturated borax solution to lightly coat his blades before heat treatment.

Jim, does he mention his reason? I haven't read that book...

Fluxing will prevent oxy contact. I could be mistaken but I thought decarb was the carbon being burned out of the surface so preventing oxy contact should prevent decarb. That's just my intuitive thought about the question I don't "know".

Frosty The Lucky.

I use it for stamps and touchmarks with good sucess, just give it a even, thin coat

To prevent scaling.

If it prevents oxidation it's preventing decarburization. 

Thanks for the responses guys... 

When I get the chance, I'll do two test coupons from the same bar, one with and one without flux to see what, if any, difference it makes...