Learn · In-House Process
Heat Treatment
“Everything you see started in a small shop where I had to choose between paying rent or buying my first heat-treat oven to make my first 10 knives.”
— Greg Medford, FounderWhy It Matters
The Step That Makes the Steel Work
Without heat treatment, a blade is just shaped steel. It’s what lets the blade hold an edge and take abuse.
Medford built the capability in-house from day one — same team, same building, every knife. Every batch is checked right here.
The heat treat room — Phoenix, AZ
The Inkonel Bag
Sealed Before the Furnace
Before a blade goes in, it’s sealed inside an Inkonel foil bag made here, by hand. The bag keeps oxygen off the steel during heating, preventing surface oxidation and carbon loss.
Seal the blade, load the furnace, quench, open the bag — the blade comes out clean and ready for the next step.
The Craftsman Step
Straightened by Hand, While Still Hot
When steel quenches, it moves. A craftsman corrects each blade while it’s still at temperature, reading it by eye and feel.
It takes experience to do it right, and fast.
Small Batches
Run by Steel Type
Medford runs heat treat in small batches, by steel type — each with its own recipe held on the controller. After quench, blades go through cryogenic cooling to help set the final hardness.
No Shortcuts
We Test Every Batch
Every batch is hardness-tested before it moves forward. If a batch reads wrong, it doesn’t pass.
Watch the Process
Greg Medford on Heat Treatment
Heat Treating
Part 7 of the Art of Knife Making series.
MagnaCut Heat Treatment
Why Medford adopted it, and how it’s treated.
Fresh Out of the Furnace
Raider fixed blades, Phoenix.
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