Patent ID: 7909943

Claim:
A process for hardening a stainless steel work piece by diffusing carbon and/or nitrogen into surfaces of the work piece, comprising: submerging the work piece into a molten salt bath for a period ranging from 15 minutes to 240 hours and at temperatures below 450° C., wherein the molten salt bath comprises, by weight, the following components: 30-60% potassium chloride (KCl), 20-40% lithium chloride (LiCl), 15-30% an activator substance selected from the group consisting of barium chloride (BaCl 2 ), strontium chloride (SrCl 2 ), magnesium chloride (MgCl 2 ), calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) and admixtures thereof, and 0.2-25% a carbon-donating substance selected from the group consisting of a free cyanide, a complex cyanide and admixtures thereof.