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Amigo · Veteran Member

While Alstone is covering the hardening of tool steels, somebody mentioned a product called KASENIT.
I bought a can of KASENIT from Brownell's Gunsmith supply about 20 years ago and about that long since I used it last. Find below that which is printed on the can.
The name appears in black lettered caps. on the yellow one pound can before me, followed by "surface hardening compound", "for case hardening iron and steel". The back of the steel can reads "for best results follow these instructions".

For Mild Steel:
1. Heat part uniformly to a bright red (approximately 1650 degrees fahrenheit).
2. Dip or roll in compound to form a fused shell around area to be hardened. Reheat to a bright red.
3. Quench immediately in clean, cold water using a scrubbing action to ensure maximum cooling rate.
To increase depth, repeat operation No. 2 before quenching. To ensure maximum of hardness, reheat and repeat operation No. 3.

For Tool Steel:
Heat part to a light yellow. Deposit in compound and leave until its right tempering heat is reached, then plunge into clean, cold water or oil. This will bring out the utmost limit in hardness and also prevent cracking.

For Deeper Cases On Mild Steel:
Immerse part in compound using open, shallow receptacle. Subject to heat of 1650 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of from 15 to 60 minutes, depending on depth of case required. Use dry tong to remove part from molten compound. Quench part only in clean, cold water.

KASENIT compounds are highly refined, non-poisonous, non-inflammable and non-explosive.

Manufactured by KASENIT COMPANY - MAHWAH, NJ

The wording above is exactly as it appears on this can - yes, even the "stilted" phrasing is what is on the can.
I last used it on a double set trigger sear and it does work - a file would not touch it! Note: A thin cross section can be rendered quite brittle using this product. I had to remake that sear. Embarassed

If somebody was entertaining the idea of trying Kasenit, I thought that reading the can copy would help a person decide.

BTW, When quenching in water - Best final quench results are obtained if brine is substituted for pure water. The salt increases the liquids density and retards the formation of oxygen bubbles on the surface of the steel. The formation of oxygen bubbles on the steel creates areas of reduced hardness where the bubbles are most concentrated. The bubbles act as an insulator slowing the quench(cooling) rate.

Amigo

Slavia · Moderator

Here's the stuff:
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=119479

And the MSDS:
https://www.travers.com/htdocs/pdf-msds/81-003-001.pdf

Amigo · Veteran Member

Slavia:

Thanks for the research! Went to both sites and printed the Midway page which gives far more and better info then the can. (Used Print Key 1000)
The tempering color temperature chart is very useful also. Alstone and I broached that subject the other day.

The MSDS settled a suspicion that the powder might be sodium cyanide.
I worked in a heat treat shop back in 61 that used molten sodium cyanide pots. The cyanide used to replenish the pots came as white brickettes, the same size and shape as a barbecue charcoal brickette. This Kasenit crystalline powder looks likes a well crushed version of those brickettes.

Please be aware that cyanide burns go deep and are very difficult to heal. Yup, the fumes are none too healthy either. Shocked

A well ventilated area is mandatory.

Thanks again, the info you found should be helpful to a lot people.

Amigo

Alstone · Moderator & Site Supporter

I have a large tin of Kasenit which I bought nearly 40 years ago and still use today, an excellent product. One thing that I haven’t seen mentioned about case hardening is that when we used to do samples in Tec College, when quenching the sample we got a loud crack as the case hardening compound was blown off the sample, and if it did this we had a successful treatment, if no crack the temperatures were wrong. The finished artical should have a light gray finish.

Al