On Dec 3, 2:12*pm, JoanD'arcRoast wrote:
I shape my wood lathe tools by hand, and then heat treat in a campfire
and quench in used motor oil.

I have access to LN2, but wonder if it would make a noticeable
improvement of the O-1.

I know I will encounter inefficiencies due to Leidenfrost effect, even
if I pre-chill the steel to minus 80 C. (Perhaps I can roto-vac to make
slush, I'll have to explore that.)

Opinions?

Do you think my methods are too primitive and hit-or-miss to achieve
better sharpness and edge retention on the lathe tool?

Am I barking up the wrong tree? Would the little extra hardness gained
not be desirable for this application?

Pointers? Links?

Thanks for taking the trouble to read this mess,
-j

We cryo treated hardened O-1 gauges at -100 deg. F. to improve
dimensional stability. It may improve the hardness to some extend,
also.

If it is not too much difficulty why not just try it? Otherwise I'd
try a more wear resistant steel; of course the heat treatment would
be more elaborate. I doubt that a camp fire would suffice:-)).

Wolfgang