"James" wrote in message
news:7GE1e.9927$TZ.8226@okepread06...
WHat is involved with hardening the 6150 ?

I would suppose a short soak at 1600°F or so, followed by a quench in water,
or oil (be careful on that one, water will crack it if I'm wrong!), then
temper anywhere from 300°F (file hard; brittle) to 800°F (much more
elongation; no hardness to speak of). 400-500°F is good for tools that you
want to bend a little before breaking, without being too soft.

*Checks Matweb*

6150 appears to be a low alloy steel (hey, 97% pure iron), presumably the Cr
+ V assists carbide formation, concentrating the 0.50% C content as Ed
mentioned. All the heat treated entries are oil quenched, so water quench
would probably be, technically, a "bad thing". None for a temper under
1000°F, unfortunately. At that temper, it has very good strength (180ksi
tensile) and 15% elongation.

Tim

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