[TheForge] Tool steel heat

[PlumDon at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/17/2007 5:03:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time,  
iowaharry at fastmail.net writes:
On some online reading I found a  statement that tool steel should
never be heated past a red heat  or it will be ruined. Is this true?

Statement found at:
_http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/preservation/smithy/chpt2b.htm#fig5_ 
(http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/preservation/smithy/chpt2b.htm#fig5) 

That quote from the book 'Modern Blacksmithing", by Homstrom is  suspect. 

ROCK DRILLS

"Few blacksmiths know how to make a rock drill. Take a piece of round  or 
octagon steel, the desired length and thickness, shape it, but it must be  
remembered that if during the process you ever get it over a red heat there is  no 
use to proceed, but just cut off that much and start again, no hardening will  
prevail if it is burnt."
 

I would suspect that they are talking about a steel that is 85-95  points 
carbon, which would be typical tool steel of that period. (1902, I think)  At a 
red heat you can barely move it. I dont suggest taking high carbon tools  steel 
much past high orange...maybe just a touch of low yellow. 

Don  Plummer
 



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