[TheForge] Stainless steel

[Saint Phlip]

On 9/1/06, Peter Fels And Phoebe Palmer <artgawk at thegrid.net> wrote:
> Hi Phlip;
> I'd respectfully suggest that you return to regular high carbon
> tool steels and simply dry and oil them after each work session.
> Wrapping them in an oily rag works well.
> Assuming you are making  struck tools...stamps, decorative
> punches and the like, the stainless alloys will be  more time
> consuming to make because you won't be able to anneal them as
> effectively.

I'm still looking at options...

> Tannic acid mostly seems to make that black stained surface on
> steel with a bloom of rust on it....and needs a bit of soaking at
> that. Very little effect on clean steel.

Untrue, unfortunately. I have used a couple of tools I made on
dampened leather, and even a bit of a slip left a dk grey streak,
rather like a pencil mark. And oils on the steel tend to be absorbed
by the leather, later causing irregularities in the surface treatment
which has a distinct effect on how the leather takes the dyes later-
not much of a problem if you're dyeing with dark colors, but very
noticeable if you're using light ones, at least with spirit dyes.
Oil-based dyes have never given me the colors I wanted, and are, in my
experience, VERY uneven, so I don't use them.

-- 
Saint Phlip

Heat it up
Hit it hard
Repent as necessary.

Has anyone seen my temper?
I seem to have misplaced it at Stalag XXXV....