[TheForge] Fw: Fw: Hay cutter blades.

[David E. Smucker]

Mark,  Why go to water if oil will do the job?  Lower stress with oil and 
less likely to crack.  Of course what you use for the quench doesn't matter 
as long as you meet the cooling speed requirements for a given steel.

You can quench 1095 to maximum hardness in air if it is thin enough.  Just 
try it with some 0.020 music wire (1095).

For an unknown steel I first see how hard it will get with just an air 
quench (air cool)  checking with a new file.  If it isn't has hard as I 
would like I then go to oil.  Still not hard enough -- then water but at 
this point I prefer brine (10 %).

Then temper -- always temper.

For many tool uses just letting 5160 air cool (normalize) will give a very 
good tool especially if you are using it for hot work.

YMMV

Dave Smucker
Brasstown

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Mark A. Pesetsky" <pesetsky at Princeton.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, September 26, 2010 7:13 PM
To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Fw:  Hay cutter blades.

> Or water...Mark
>
> An oil quenching steel.
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