Steel Aisi 52100 is a type of high carbon and chromium steel, with good performance and wide application. After quenching, it reaches high hardness, high edge retention, good dimensional stability, and corrosion resistance. Excellent for kitchen and field knives.
Forging: Heat up to a maximum of 1150° C and do not forge after the forging material temperature has dropped below about 925° C.
Normalizing: Heat to 885° C and air cool.
Annealing: For a predominantly spheroidized structure generally desired for processing, heat to 795° C and quickly cool to 750° C, then continue to cool to 675° C at a rate not exceeding 6° C per hour; or as an alternative technique, heat to 795° C, quickly cool to 690° C for 40 minutes, and then let it cool in the turned-off oven.
Hardening: From 780-845°C and quench in Durixol V35 oil at 40° C. Higher temperatures cause excess carbon in solution, and retained austenite can become problematic.
Tempering: Hardness in the hardened state up to 66 HRC. After quenching, the parts should be tempered as soon as they have uniformly reached room temperature.
2 times for 40 minutes
| Temperature | Hardness HRC |
| 150°C | 62 |
| 200°C | 60 |
| 260°C | 58 |
| 315°C | 54 |