What is hardening and tempering?
Abbreviation: H&T
Related Terms
Heat Treating(HT)
Heat treating is a group of industrial processes that alter the physical and mechanical properties of metal through controlled heating and cooling. It includes annealing, hardening, tempering, and normalizing.
Annealing
Annealing is a heat treatment process that softens metal by heating it to a specific temperature and slowly cooling it. It relieves internal stress and improves ductility for forming.
1084 Steel
1084 is a high-carbon steel popular with knife makers for its excellent edge retention and ease of heat treating. It's commonly sold as flat bar or blade blanks.
D2 Tool Steel(D2)
D2 is a high-chromium, high-carbon tool steel known for exceptional wear resistance and edge retention. Widely used for dies, punches, and knife blades.
Brinell / Rockwell Hardness(HB / HRC)
Brinell (HB) and Rockwell (HRC) are scales for measuring metal hardness by indentation. HRC is common for tool steels and knife steels; HB is used for structural and softer metals.