Hanwei Tinker Pearce Hand and a Half Sword

When a piece of steel is heated to hardening temperature and quenched the desired goal is to produce Martensite or Bainite. These are crystaline structures in the steel that are of use in a sword or knife. Bainite is thought to be tougher and more shock-resistant and Martensite is harder and offers better wear resistance. A typical heat-treat and oil quench produces about 70-80% Martensite, but the steel cools before the transformation to Martensite is completed so the remaining material is composed of non-useful crystals like Ferrite, Pearlite and Cementite. Marquenching is a process that results in a much greater percentage of Martensite- well over 90%. This means that blades heat-treated using this process are stronger and more wear-resistant than blades finished with a conventional heat treat. For larger blades I have (since 1992) used Pacific Metallurgical, a commercial heat treater that works to aerospace specs, to insure quality and consistency in the heat treat of my blades.