[TheForge] Tempering

Sun Jan 27 23:53:00 2002

Donn, I will let others answer with more knowledge, but vermiculite is used
for anealing the steel not as a quenching medium.  This process relaxes all
the stress imposed by forging and makes the steel soft and easier to work.
After quenching in the right medium for the steel used ( oils, water, brine,
super quench etc) one then has to take some of the hardness out of the steel
and this is done by tempering. You usually polish the steel so you can see
the colors as they come into play.
Where you stop the tempering ( by again quenching) depends on the use of the
piece you are working on.

Now, I'm sure others will chip in with more precise ( or more correct )
information for you.

Regards

Harry Foster
Rusty Dog Forge

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 12:31 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [TheForge] Tempering

Gents,

In attempting to fabricate a replacement part for my buggy wheel tire
setting machine I find that I need to temper the steel. I don't want it to
become too brittle so I've been trying various quenching media. i.e. water,
various oils, etc. I've seen some of you mention vermiculite as a medium.
Anybody care to explain the benefits of the various methods and media and
the degree of hardness achieved by each?

Regards,
Donn
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