Working with 4130 Alloy Steel

[Myron]

Hi all,

I want to make my first attempt at heat treating using .032 4130 alloy steel because it is cheap and easy to get from AED motorsports. I only have a small sattelite kiln, so I am going to try to use it to heat treat a set of Almain splints. I should be able to fit all the parts in the kiln except the vambrace, I think it is too long. I have one arm of the splints partially done in 16 Ga. mild that I am using as a test pattern. I have really just been working on the gauntlet piece and adding on a thumb to adapt it for SCA. I will post up some pics of when I get home, but past making the hand plates and thumb work, the rest of the arm is fairly simple. I am a novice armorer and don't have a whole ton of tools, but this project seems fairly straightforward.

I looked up all the temps needed for hardening and tempering for this steel, I am just wondering if anyone has any advice or experience with it. I am also considering welding an enclosed thumb, would the heat treating effect the weld?

Thanks,
Myron

[Craig Nadler]

Myron,

Which Sattelite kiln do you have. A have a spare set point (dial) temperature controller for converting the manual Sattelite J-100 kiln to be a J-101 (no longer sold).

I use 1050 carbon steel, instead of 4130 so I can't really help you with most of the heat treating questions. If you are welding using gas or TIG then cut off strips of the 4130 to use as filler. That way the weld will heat treat the same as the rest of the piece.

Best Regards,

Craig Nadler

[Thomas Powers]

If you weld after heat treat then the weld will affect the heat treat. If you weld before the heat treat using a filler designed for welding that alloy it should make no issue heat treating after welding. (and actually when welding higher carbon steels it can be a help to go from pre-heat to welding to heat treat *directly*.