How to Heat Treat Stainless (Aeb-L & 440C) Damascus

1 - Begin with your Damascus product wrapped as tightly as possible in .002 SST foil. Use double folds on all sides to ensure a tight seal.

2 - Preheat your furnace to austenitizing temperature – 1,925 degrees Fahrenheit.

3 - Place your wrapped piece in the furnace and allow your furnace to cycle back up to austenitizing temperature.

4 - Soak your piece for 15 minutes.

5 - Remove Foil quickly and Quench in oil until it stops smoking. You can also Plate or Air quench.

6 - Temper twice at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour each time.

**For advanced CRYO hardening, quench in liquid nitrogen for 4 hours, then re-temper once at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For more information on cryo treatment, read through this forum thread.

**For rings and other small parts that don’t require a full heat treat we recommend using a torch and heating the material to a halloween orange. This is sufficient to harden the material and return the stainless qualities of the damascus back into the steel. Flaming will discolor the surface and prevent proper etching of the damascus so be sure to flame prior to final sanding steps.