[TheForge] Re: hardening and tenpering of H-13

[John Newman]

12 feet long??!!: ) I got the basics of heat treating H13  from Grant Sarver
on Keenjunk a few years ago.  I usually heat the working end to the yellow
heat, the rest of the tool to an orange sometimes if the stock is heavy I
don't heat treat the shaft.  I then cool the tool in moving air (wave the tool
around/blow on it )  till down to a dull red then I put it aside to cool.  I
then heat the whole tool in the forge often leaving the working end out of the
fire much of the time if the shaft gets a little hotter than the dull red in a
shadow I don't worry about it.  I then let it cool till I can hold it.  There
may be things I am doing wrong but it seems to work.  One of the things I like
about it is it doesn't seem to be that fussy to heat treat but it does  need
the tempering step for cold work..

John Newman

Roger Olsen wrote:

> John,
>
> Can you give more details regarding your tempering process on H-13,  say
> you have a tool you have built that is 12' long,  do you evenly forge heat
> it to a yellow heat,  allow to air cool and then slowly reheat the working
> end, say the last 3 inches or so in the forge or with a torch to a faint
> red in the shadows and then allow to air cool once again.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Roger Olsen
> __________________
>