Cryogenically treating chains

[KiwiBro]

Do the frozen chains come out any more brittle than regular chains? Chain shot on a harvester or similar application is no joke. Further, what does it do for bar wear - are the rails still harder than the chain?

 

[CTYank]

I don't think using the term "harder" to explain what happens to the metal after the process is so far off. For simplicity sake it fits. Some of your best knives are made from hard steel. Harder steel last longer and needs less sharpening as it keeps an edge longer.

For those who say "I love this knife because it sharpens so easily", don't realize it sharpens "easily" because the metal is softer. Softer equates to losing it's edge faster staying sharp for a lesser amount of time.

I question how the new cryo'd chain would sharpen after the process? A common hand chainsaw file may not work efficiently taking too long. One may have to consider using an electric sharpener with the diamond in the stone.

StihlRockin'

I think the operative word here is "tempering" also called "drawing" which would be done quite often with ovens full of bandsaw blade ferinstance, cycling the temp up to the tempering temp (much lower than for hardening) and then down for X cycles over a day or so. The same effect has been reported on for years on various steel alloys with cryogenic processes for at least 20 years. Some alloys are mainly made much less brittle. AFAIK, and that's not much, not much if any effect on hardness.

 

[esshup]

Here's some reading for you guys. From dropping off the spool to picking it up, it took 7 working days. It took 3 days after it came out of the "freezer" for it to be ready for pick up, so I'm assuming that was the length of time for the tempering (heating) process.
http://metalformingmagazine.com/magazine/article.asp?iid=86&aid=7046

http://www.thefabricator.com/articl...nic-processingadispelling-the-myths-mysteries
They are correct about gun barrels too.

Most technical of the bunch:
http://www.airproducts.com/~/media/...-quenching-of-steel-revisited-33005019GLB.pdf

re: the heating process after cooling. They never took the chain off of the cardboard spool, and the cardboard doesn't look *that* much different. So, I have no idea what temp they heated it to.