Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
Mn 2.03 0.86
Fe 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem to
stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour then
let cool slowly?

FMurtz wrote:
Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
Mn 2.03 0.86
Fe 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem to
stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour then
let cool slowly?


There isnt a €˜one size fits all formula, it depends on the composition
and required hardness.

Your approach probably will result in initial hardening and some degree of
tempering but exactly where you will end up on the Rockwell scale is
debatable. If done a bit of reading around the topic to made things in the
past and some advocate multiple tempering cycles. There is quite a bit on
YouTube but mainly related to making knives rather than tools.

Brian Reay wrote:
FMurtz wrote:
Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
Mn 2.03 0.86
Fe 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem to
stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour then
let cool slowly?


There isnt a €˜one size fits all formula, it depends on the composition
and required hardness.

Your approach probably will result in initial hardening and some degree of
tempering but exactly where you will end up on the Rockwell scale is
debatable. If done a bit of reading around the topic to made things in the
past and some advocate multiple tempering cycles. There is quite a bit on
YouTube but mainly related to making knives rather than tools.

Not too critical, (vice jaws)hard but not brittle.

FMurtz wrote:
Brian Reay wrote:
FMurtz wrote:
Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
Mn 2.03 0.86
Fe 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem to
stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour then
let cool slowly?


There isnt a €˜one size fits all formula, it depends on the composition
and required hardness.

Your approach probably will result in initial hardening and some degree of
tempering but exactly where you will end up on the Rockwell scale is
debatable. If done a bit of reading around the topic to made things in the
past and some advocate multiple tempering cycles. There is quite a bit on
YouTube but mainly related to making knives rather than tools.

Not too critical, (vice jaws)hard but not brittle.


I dont pretend to be an expert but I would have looked at Case Hardening.
I was shown how to do this at school (as a pupil) when I made an adjustable
spanner. Basically you heat the metal to red heat and plunge it into a
carbon powder. You get a hard surface but the tool isnt brittle. I seem to
recall the powder was called Casemite - there were square tins used for
storage around the metal work room.

After the process you have to clean off the crust with a wire brush but the
finish seems to last. Ive still got the spanner I made over 40 years ago.

Brian Reay wrote:
FMurtz wrote:
Brian Reay wrote:
FMurtz wrote:
Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
Mn 2.03 0.86
Fe 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem to
stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour then
let cool slowly?


There isnt a €˜one size fits all formula, it depends on the composition
and required hardness.

Your approach probably will result in initial hardening and some degree of
tempering but exactly where you will end up on the Rockwell scale is
debatable. If done a bit of reading around the topic to made things in the
past and some advocate multiple tempering cycles. There is quite a bit on
YouTube but mainly related to making knives rather than tools.

Not too critical, (vice jaws)hard but not brittle.


I dont pretend to be an expert but I would have looked at Case Hardening.
I was shown how to do this at school (as a pupil) when I made an adjustable
spanner. Basically you heat the metal to red heat and plunge it into a
carbon powder. You get a hard surface but the tool isnt brittle. I seem to
recall the powder was called Casemite - there were square tins used for
storage around the metal work room.

After the process you have to clean off the crust with a wire brush but the
finish seems to last. Ive still got the spanner I made over 40 years ago.

I have done it before but It is now too expensive and hard to get as
several brands have disappeared.You can make your own but I already have
the heat treatable ones almost made.

FMurtz wrote:
Brian Reay wrote:
FMurtz wrote:
Brian Reay wrote:
FMurtz wrote:
Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
Mn 2.03 0.86
Fe 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem to
stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour then
let cool slowly?


There isnt a €˜one size fits all formula, it depends on the composition
and required hardness.

Your approach probably will result in initial hardening and some degree of
tempering but exactly where you will end up on the Rockwell scale is
debatable. If done a bit of reading around the topic to made things in the
past and some advocate multiple tempering cycles. There is quite a bit on
YouTube but mainly related to making knives rather than tools.

Not too critical, (vice jaws)hard but not brittle.


I dont pretend to be an expert but I would have looked at Case Hardening.
I was shown how to do this at school (as a pupil) when I made an adjustable
spanner. Basically you heat the metal to red heat and plunge it into a
carbon powder. You get a hard surface but the tool isnt brittle. I seem to
recall the powder was called Casemite - there were square tins used for
storage around the metal work room.

After the process you have to clean off the crust with a wire brush but the
finish seems to last. Ive still got the spanner I made over 40 years ago.

I have done it before but It is now too expensive and hard to get as
several brands have disappeared.You can make your own but I already have
the heat treatable ones almost made.


I was told at the time it was essentially carbon made from Coke and, as I
recall, it looked like crushed coke. Probably more like fine-sand than
powder but it was a long time ago. Im 63 and it was in my school days.

On 13/12/2019 15:39, FMurtz wrote:
Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
MnÂ* 2.03 0.86
FeÂ* 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem to
stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour then
let cool slowly?

Dunno, but watching Guy Martin doing the sword in Our Guy in Japan was
interesting.

On 14/12/2019 08:36, Richard wrote:
On 13/12/2019 15:39, FMurtz wrote:
Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
MnÂ* 2.03 0.86
FeÂ* 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem
to stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour
then let cool slowly?

Dunno, but watching Guy Martin doing the sword in Our Guy in Japan was
interesting.

+1

I didn't realise that they used fireclay to heat the cutting edge to
a different temperature than the rest of the blade.

On 13/12/2019 15:39, FMurtz wrote:
Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
MnÂ* 2.03 0.86
FeÂ* 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem to
stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour then
let cool slowly?

Don't quite understand your table, can you explain it better?

The key parameter is likely to be the carbon level, and what you are
trying to do with the final product.

newshound wrote:
On 13/12/2019 15:39, FMurtz wrote:
Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
MnÂ* 2.03 0.86
FeÂ* 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem
to stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour
then let cool slowly?

Don't quite understand your table, can you explain it better?
Directly from metal analysis instrument.


The key parameter is likely to be the carbon level, and what you are
trying to do with the final product.

On 15/12/2019 04:29, FMurtz wrote:
newshound wrote:
On 13/12/2019 15:39, FMurtz wrote:
Any steel boffins around?
Fe/CS
MnÂ* 2.03 0.86
FeÂ* 95.4 2.19
Presumably heat cherry red and quench ,then in the old days used to
bring to selected colour then quench to temper but nowadays they seem
to stick in oven for selected time, how about 300 degrees for an hour
then let cool slowly?

Don't quite understand your table, can you explain it better?
Directly from metal analysis instrument.


The key parameter is likely to be the carbon level, and what you are
trying to do with the final product.

With respect, that doesn't answer the question. I suppose it could be
the mean and standard deviation of the elemental content.

In which case, I would come back and say just tell us what you know
about the component. Seems likely it is a carbon manganese steel. But
without being able to estimate the carbon content, and to know what
performance you want from it, you don't need a metallurgist, you need a
psychic.