[TheForge] to heat treat or not to heat treat... that is my question.

[Andrew Vida]

Jason Nass wrote:
> Just finished up an anvil bick of 4140. I'm not overly familiar with using
> it for tools, so I am undecided whether to heat treat it and risk it being
> to brittle to deal with impact, or just leave it normalized. I'd imagine
> that being it is a high strength alloy, it should hold up to having hot
> steel hammered around it, especially being as I ain't gonna be using no 12#
> sledges on it. What thoughts might you metallurgist types have on the
> matter?

I'd HT.  Draw to C35 and you will have one hella-tough bick.  I don't 
recall what temp 35 corresponds with.  Easily looked up, though.