Forgot to temper a blade for a customer in Boise and it snapped during testing

I was finishing up a custom chef's knife for a guy in Boise last Thursday, and I got distracted by a phone call. I completely skipped the tempering step after the quench. When I did a flex test on the bench, it just snapped clean in half about two inches from the handle. I had to start over from scratch with a new bar of 1084. Has anyone else ever blanked on a whole heat treat step and how did you fix it?

3 comments

3 Comments

baker.mary28d ago

My shop in Tacoma runs a two person checklist for every heat treat. That extra set of eyes catches skipped steps before the steel cools. A simple process fix prevents this exact kind of expensive mistake.

taylor17428d ago

That reminds me of a buddy who forgot the temper cycle on a whole batch of knives (total facepalm moment).

ninasingh21d ago

Yeah, that two person checklist Mary mentioned is a lifesaver. In my shop, we have a physical whiteboard with each step. You initial it when it's done, and nobody moves the blade to the next station without that check. It sounds simple, but it totally stops that "oh no" moment when the steel is already cold.