[TheForge] Oregon fusion blades

[Keziah's Forge]

Good thought. I realised thats' the principal behind my suggestion of 
hardfacing: air quenching.  The term fusion suggests to me that there is a 
combination of metals involved.  Hence, using ordinary steel for the body of 
the blade and air-queched for the edge.  ANd sharpen it as muchas you want: 
the sharpening would never soften it. no matter what the heat.  Betchaa 
that's it
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Spencer" <mspencer at tallships.ca>
To: <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 2:19 AM
Subject: [TheForge] Re: Oregon fusion blades


>
> PF wrote:
>
>> ...or maybe, like case hardened knives the harder surface would then
>> be self sharpening.
>
> I have this vague recollection of seeing something about a system
> where the sharpening process hardened the workpiece at the edge.  Say
> you use air-hardening steel for a blade and heat-treat the piece for
> maximum toughness.  Then if you (re)sharpen it with a power tool with
> just the right grit at just the right speed, you'll bring the edge to
> the critical temp and as it air-cools, it will harden. Just at the
> very edge where the temp got high enough.
>
> Obviously not for collector knives or luthier's chisels but for mower
> blades, pulpwood shredders and such industrial stuff, it might be a
> good trick.
>
> I suppose to get the "just right", you'd need a mechanized grinder.
> Just whacking it by hand with the angle grinder or flap wheel would
> give unpredictable results unless the metallurgy wonks discovered a
> very forgiving alloy.
>
> Digression: after seeing what *real* sharpening means, watching a guy
> in a paper mill sharpen a 10' paper-shear blade and watching techs in
> a hospital research lab sharpen microtome blades, I just sharpen my
> pocket knife with a smooth file.  Perfection is just out of my
> reach. :-)
>
>
> - Mike
>
> -- 
> Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~.
>                                                           /V\
> mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
> http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^
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