Heat treating

[Blaflair2]

So I have a blade I made from a concrete road saw. It's about 45 on the Rockwell scale. I was wondering if there was a way to harden the edge. Or even the whole thing. I don't have a forge. It's for the Christmas trade so I wanna get on it

[BarredOwl]

To do it right you will probably have to know what formulation of steel you are dealing with, I believe.  Is it air hardening, or plain carbon steel that could be oil quenched? Only the manufacturer of the blade would be likely to know.  There might be some info on the internet about a treatment you could use that would provide adequate results but its still kind of a crap shoot unless you know for sure what the material is exactly.  That will make a difference in the equipment you would need and temperatures that you will need to heat to and soak times if you really want to be in control of the results.  I always use known material for my projects and I have a friend with an oven that can do pretty precise heat treating for me based on the type of steel I am using.  I understand how it works I just don't have my own oven.   Hopefully someone else can give you some better advice.  I have not tried saw blades of any kind. 

[Blaflair2]

Well the guy that gave it to me said it was a road saw, he makes knives as well. He said it will hold a pretty good egde but the blade will have to be sharpened more than others.

[BarredOwl]

If it's only at 45  on the Rockwell scale it will probably need to be touched up more often.  Another factor that will make a big difference is wether you got the steel too hot when you ground your bevel.  I have heard that fair knives can be made from some kinds of saw blades.  The trick is not heating the blade up enough to take out the temper that was put into them when manufactured.   Another thing to consider is wether it is a blade that has carbide or some other kind of teeth attached to the edges.  In that case the main body of the blade won't necessarily be made to have optimum edge wear properties.  It may or may not is all I am saying.  Without knowing exactly what kind of material you have, experience and use would be the only way to see if it has the qualities that will be acceptable for you are looking for.

[Blaflair2]

Thanks

[Zuma]

I may be off base but I think you could cut out a preform
 and send it off for treating. I would check the net.
You may not have enough time for that? Maybe next time.
Zuma

[BarredOwl]

You bet. There are heat treating services all over.  Texas Knife Makers supply offers this service I believe and it's not that expensive if you are just doing an occasional blade.  I would be doing that with my blades if I didn't know someone that is doing it for me at basically no cost.  Again though your heat treat service provider will have to have some instructions from you how your steel needs to be treated.