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

[Jerry Frost]

If you have an oil company transfer station, tank farm, distribution 
station, etc. check a can of "Heat Transfer Oil." The stuff is specifically 
designed to efficiently transfer heat, have a very high flash point and NOT 
emit dangerous vapors. It's pretty common oil used in things like tar pots 
and crack seal pots that are intended to heat a material or melt it but not 
scorch it. They're basically double boilers that make pretty high heats, say 
up to 350-400f for asphalt tar or 300f for crack sealant.

You can typically get heat treat oils at the same place of course. At any 
rate I find it so much easier and so much more consistant to use things that 
are designed for the job unless I have to improvise.

Oh yeah, 4140 is a medium carbon Chrome Moly steel that's designed to take 
severe abuse without embrittlement, say things like rifle barrels, drill 
tools, etc. We used a LOT of 4140 drill tools when I was drilling and you 
would NOT believe what kind of stresses they took without noticing. 4130 is 
aviation frame chrome moly, not because it's stronger but because it's about 
as stress proof as steel gets. You do NOT want part of your airplane 
developing metal fatigue, take off is optional, how you land takes some 
planning.

Jer
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "peter fels & phoebe palmer" <artgawk at thegrid.net>
To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 9:05 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] to heat treat or not to heat treat...that is my 
question.


>I go to the local deep fry place and get their used fry oil..it's cheap
> to free ,
> so you can afford enough to quench large pieces, and works fine.
>
> On 10/28/2010 12:44 PM, Jason Nass wrote:
>> Good point... guess I'm on the search for random oil... LOL
>>
>> Jason Nass - MacTalis Ironworks
>> me at wargoth.com
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>> [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of peter fels& 
>> phoebe
>> palmer
>> Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 3:18 PM
>> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
>> Subject: Re: [TheForge] to heat treat or not to heat treat... that is my
>> question.
>>
>> Normalize at least...
>> Tho i'm no metallurgist,
>>    It'd be nice to harden and temper it
>> as not all metal work operations are hot.
>>
>> On 10/28/2010 11:49 AM, 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?
>>>
>>> Jason Nass - MacTalis Ironworks
>>> me at wargoth.com
>>>