[TheForge] Just watched the Mythbusters try to shatter hammers

[Doug Ayen]

Thus Spake Mike Linn (bamablacksmith at comcast.net):
> 
> Part of the problem is that they were rehardning their hammers using a BBQ 
> grill and a pile of charcoal briquets..I dont think they got their hammer 
> heads to critical, then they quenched in used motor oil under the guise of 
> infusing carbon into the steel to make it harder. They just dropped the 
> head into a pan of oil, no swishing or anything. If anything they made the 
> heads softer than they were when they started.
> 
> Heat them to critical, and water quench them, then all you have to do is 
> drop it on the floor to watch it shatter...
> 
> mike
> 
> 
Exactly what I was thinking, or given the state of modern tools,
possibly watch them shatter in the quench, or if they're still too soft,
superquench. 

The bad metalurgy on this particular episode has me wondering if anyone
associated with the show knows anything about heat treating, or if they
were deliberately giving out misinformation to avoid lawsuits.

--doug