"Reyd Dorakeen" wrote in message
...

The transformation temperature of W1 is in the range of 1450 - 1500 deg.
F.
It's not particularly critical unless you need maximum toughness or
hardness. Temper at 350F - 650F, for hardnesses of 64 Rc to 50 Rc,
respectively.

Incidentally, this steel is nothing more than a (possibly)
cleaner-than-usual version of 1070 - 1095. If you have info on
heat-treating
those plain-carbon steels, it applies to W1 as well.

What's your application again?


wood turning tools

Oh yeah, now I remember. g

Then you have to find the right compromise between toughness and hardness.
My old Casteel (ca. 1900) wood-turning tools are pretty hard. If you tried
to make the edge too thin they'd probably chip.

However, overall toughness with hardenable steel is NOT inversely related to
hardness. You typically get the ultimate toughness at a hardness level
that's just on the hard side of the middle range. For W-1, I'm going to
estimate that's at a tempering temperature of around 375 - 400 deg. F,
tempered for one to two hours. If you temper for more than two hours, don't
go above 375 deg. If you do a quick temper-and-quench, you won't get
anything close to maximum toughness, and no advantage at all in hardness. So
don't do it for a wood-turning tool.

The hard part is getting the initial heating to go right. It's difficult to
get even heating with anything but a furnace (even if it's a small one), and
getting the heating *temperature* right is another challenge. If it's not a
critical job then the temperature is not critical. Where you want some
strength and toughness in the tool, as for wood-turning, then you want to
get that temperature right.

You probably want to quench in water, or brine. Quenching W-1 in oil is a
good idea for very thin pieces, especially if you don't need maximum
possible hardness. But you need hardness, so go with water. Long, moderately
thin pieces are difficult to water-quench without warping. I use a coil of
flexible copper tube (1/4") drilled full of holes, wrapped into a helix (the
holes face inward), and with a hose-faucet female fitting soldered on to the
end. I attach it to my laundry sink. For your job, I'd get the water running
and spraying into the middle of the 2" helix, at around 100 deg. F, and
plunge the hot piece into the middle, bobbing it up and down. Plunging it
into a bucket of water sometimes gives you a badly warped piece.

Good luck.

Ed Huntress