Kiln Guide

Quench cracks, soft spots, warped blades, and edges that chip on first use — each failure points to a specific cause in your heat treat process. This troubleshooting guide helps you diagnose what went wrong and fix it before the next blade.

The file test is a fast, free go/no-go check for blade hardness. Learn how to run it correctly, what a failed test tells you about your heat treat process, and how to diagnose and fix the most common causes of soft blades.