[TheForge] Fw: Forge temps

[David E. Smucker]

Mark,

Why are your trying to anneal S7?  Do you need to drill it or machine it 
after forging?  If so good luck?  It is almost impossible to have the 
correct slow cool to anneal the high alloy tool steels such as S7 or H13 
unless you have a high quality heat treat furnace in which you can control 
both the heating and cooling rate.  Some knife makers have such equipment 
but most blacksmith do not.

Or do you mean how do you control the temperature of you steel for accurate 
heat treating of S7.  Different question -- and we can do a good job by 
using color.  For small sections we also don't need the handbook soak times. 
We can get good results with much shorter time.

Not to be hard on you about using the term anneal vs. heat treat.  I done 
that too.  If you want I can send you an article I did for our Blacksmithing 
Newsletter on heat treating of tool steels.

I love S7 for many blacksmithing tools -- I think it is one of the very best 
possible steels to use.

Dave Smucker
Brasstown, NC

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Mark Novak" <mark at fireworkspdx.com>
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 6:12 PM
To: <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [TheForge] Forge temps

> How do y'all measure and control the temperature of your respective
> forges, for accurate annealing? I don't have a pyrometer that goes
> over 1000ºF, but I got ahold of some S-7 I'm going to use for center
> punches and which needs to be annealed at 1500-1550ºF for 20-25
> minutes (for a hand tool of this size). I have no idea how hot my
> crappy atmospheric propane forge burns, let alone how to maintain a
> somewhat consistent temp.
>
> Help!
> Mark Novak
> Fireworkspdx.com
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