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I finally stopped rushing the tempering process on my blades
I used to think tempering was just a quick touch with the torch after hardening, so I'd hurry through it to save time. But my knives kept ending up either too brittle or not holding an edge right, which was super frustrating. The real turning point was when a friend's order for a hunting knife came back with a crack after light use, and I felt awful about it. I ended up watching a few videos from experienced smiths who all said to use a controlled heat source and check the color change slowly. So I dug out an old toaster oven from my garage, set it up in the shop, and tried tempering at a steady 375 degrees for a full hour. The next blade came out way tougher and kept its sharpness without any issues, which totally sold me on the method. Now I never skip the slow temper, and my pieces have way fewer fails, which is a huge relief. Funny how a simple fix like that can make such a big difference, lmao.
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leob585mo ago
Rushing tempering can work if you know the exact color to look for, like a light straw. My uncle did quick tempers on farm tools for decades without a single failure. The problem is most people, like @maxl93's friend, misjudge the heat and end up with a broken tool. For a hunting knife that sees hard use, taking your time is smart, but for a basic wood chisel, a careful torch pass has always been fine in my shop.
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ramirez.vera6mo ago
Honestly, all this talk about slow tempering seems like overkill sometimes. I've seen guys at the local forge do a quick torch temper on simple tools like chisels and they hold up just fine for years. If you know what you're doing with the heat, you can get a good temper without babysitting an oven for an hour. Sure, for fancy knives maybe take your time, but for everyday stuff, rushing it works (and saves a ton of time, which matters when you're making a living). Plus, not everyone has space for extra gear like a toaster oven in their shop.
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wendy326mo ago
Yeah, the "quick torch temper" thing reminds me of my buddy who tried that on a set of chisels. He had one snap on a simple cut and nearly took a chunk out of his hand.
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