Stefflus

If this is some alltogether new, revolutionary process, then I think you already know way more than me.
If you mean to go by it the conventional way, then there's a limit to how much I can say without getting into trade secrets.
I can say this, however;
If you are entering the high purity market, you'll need a supply of very clean quartz, which is really only found in the mediterranean in appreciable amounts. For small projects it might be found scattered all over in veins.
If you are entering the normal market, it is highly competitive and the prizes are low.
Compared to the other alloys I mentioned this process gives a very low yield, as quite a lot of the "ore" escapes the furnace as microsilica dust (which is a valuable product by itself). Because of this and other peculiarities it is of the more difficult to tap. It devours any steel it touches in an instant, making lancing arduous.
Also, don't get it wet in a space with insufficient ventilation (such as in a boat hull). Boat crews have perished from the phosphine gas it emits when wet (at least the normal purity stuff).

But ok, with some of the more common refrigerating liquid gasses you might get some spectacular cracking, but also a poisonous or explosive or environmentally hazardous cloud.
I'm guessing the cracking spectacle would be not so different than one brought about by quenching an air hardening steel in water.

​What steel? I'm thinking that to get hot enough during tempering for the finish to stick you'd want at least something like A2 or D2?
I've noticed canola doesn't stick at all unless I use it as a quenchant. (1095, L6)

Heat of vaporization
Water - 2260 kJ/kg
Ammonia - 1371 kJ/kg
Nitrogen - 199 kJ/kg

Heat capacity
Water - 4.18 kJ/kg·K
Ammonia - 4.7 kJ/kg·K
Nitrogen - 2.13 kJ/kg·K

Heat conductivity
Water - 0.58 W/m·K
Ammonia - 0.540 W/m·K
Nitrogen - 0.065 W/m·K
(Silver - about 410 W/m·K)

So, what steel and from what temperature?
"Cryogenical" quenching of some high alloy steels is quite common, but it's not done with just one quenchant in one go.

What I'm trying to say here is that liquid Nitrogen is a rather poor quenchant, and if you stick a piece of red hot steel into it you might make a woosh of very expensive air. Depending on the steel type and cross section there may be cracking.

silly but enlightening video of "red hot nickle ball into liquid nitrogen"

Frosty I have a feeling he's actually meaning to make Ferrosilicon, not Wrought.

I used to work in a FeSi plant, and a FeCr+FeMn plant, and I can't fathom how anyone would want to do that for fun
Well ok, making granulated FeSi is kind of fun the few times there's a real big steam explosion.
The smallest furnace I've seen is a 1MW research one, which they stopped and cooled to study evidence of differing zones. Is this somewhat the plan?
If not, what is this project? It's a rather strange project since it's so heavily studied already, unless you have a revolutionary new take on the process.

bigfootnampa, seconded.

Actually whenever there's risk of high enery catches, such as when roughing or working on the outer circumference of large, heavy bowl blanks,
I just pinch the handle horizontally between two fingers, so that if it snags, the tool goes flying without breaking any of my fingers. It very rarely snags, tho.

If you ever feel you need to resist the handle lifting, then the solution is not to hold harder, it is to sharpen the tool, spin the blank faster and ride the bevel.
The weight of the handle alone should be enough force.

Tucking is something you can do for comfort with a treadle lathe.

Maybe, motor oils can be quite different things, as can vegetable oils.
But I always advice to stay clear of used motor oil since it's really quite nasty, carcinogenic stuff, and going for something like canola

I sense that you're eager to get going?
In your position I would put the brake drum on hold, make a quick sideblast clay forge and make a first pair of tongs. Then, after getting to know it and if I felt the forge made a good even heat, I'd go ahead and harden the blade. Then you can tinker with sharpening, sheath and handle while contemplating how to design the brake drum forge, or forge some more in the sideblast.

​You could, but there would be risk involved. Also it would be easier to grind after temper.
I usually brighten a patch on the steel immediately after hardening, then draw it to pale straw in the flame over the forge. That way I'm pretty sure it won't crack by the time I get home to my oven. I have also considered having a pot of boiling water to keep hardened things in until I can get around to tempering, because of the freezing temperatures I work in.

My immediate thought is that I wouldn't make a taper that puts a wedging force against those thin webs
I'd set the block on end with the radiused edge up, and weld on a square hardy.
But I'm guessing you've already made a conscious decision on this matter.

Very nice!
Any reason you didn't sharpen it on both faces, or is there a microbevel I'm not seeing?
I'm quite sure it will not be ideal for hollowing, but it's perfect to have one like this for outside work even when making bowls.

If you do make a curved one, might I suggest you bend the pick side of the hammer down the shaft? This would add a bit of mass, plus give you strength when levering out chips.

 However, wood ash may contain calcium oxide (quicklime) that will transform into calcium carbonate (limestone)

Yes, but hardly in an atmosphere exceeding 900^o C. In exceeding amount it might make slag doughy though because of its high melting point

What handle has the power to do it if control is lost?
A rivet hole broach?
I'm thinking most likely not a machine handle per se, but a tong or tool handle in a power hammer?

I get alot of people asking how much their woodworking tools are worth, and I reply "It's worth what you can get for it".
Then they often throw out an ebay-price, and I have to ask "Do you know if it's actually sold for that?"

Generally, people in this country has too much money, so interior design means old tools and anvils go for vastly inflated prices, it's almost always cheaper to buy new.
A woodworking friend of mine beat me to some chisels and a plane at a fair we were at.
The initial asking price was about 200$.
"Oh, you're going to USE it?? -Tell you what, give me 10$ for them" :D

For you Marius I would suggest these, in this order:

http://cdon.no/b%C3%B8ker/bergland,_h%C3%A5vard/kunsten_%C3%A5_smi-927620 Håvard Bergland - "Kunsten å smi" (Curriculum at Hjerleid school)
http://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/nya-jarnsmidesboken-9789197563499 Norèn og Enander - "Nya järnsmidesboken"
http://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/klassiskt-jarnsmide-9789197261586 Norèn og Enander - "Klassiskt järnsmide"

Heisann Marius!
What area are you in? (Fylke?)

You might be breaking a myth, it seems.

I'm having no luck going trough the Norwegian online services. To be fair, I don't know where and how to access the advanced databases, and there might be oodles of finds that aren't photographed, it seems it might be more prudent to make direct contact with conservators.

However in the Swedish History Museum I sifted thru a few pages out of several hundreds, and this came up:
http://mis.historiska.se/mis/sok/fid.asp?fid=371926&page=2&in=1

It might make sense as a sewing knife, as it could conceivably hang unsheathed from a belt since the tip is so blunt?

Forgot to mention there's a video of the author in action on youtube, they're forging an axe in some central european (Czech? German? Polish?) smithing fair/competition.
Almost looks like they are fooling around with both sledge work and machine hammer, also testing the axe by cutting a piece of mild steel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btc7ERuWx7Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLWNLQ4vRM8

Changed my mind. This is now my favourite: 

It can be seen as "blacksmithing explained" since it's almost like slow motion because of the colossal size. Also I think it's an educational show for kids. Anyone still wondering why the germans are famous for industrial quality? Methinks "Die Sendung mit der Maus" has something to do with it.

Isn't this a ultimately a consequense of too light blows?
I realize one would have to get a power hammer to escape dealing with the problem, but I just wanted to point out the underlying cause. -If I understood the problem correctly.

Do you have a uncharred sample to show us?
Have you had a look and smell inside a degreased sample?

Thanks for this very enjoyable thread!
Have you ever etched some of your openers?

This resembles the sort of tool I use, but when lucky one can find it with a 2,5 to 3mm wide blade, and ripcut teeth.
It can also be ground from a jigsaw blade, preferably a pure ripcut one since a crosscut or universal grind will chatter and washboard, but it will be rather narrow unless you stack two or three side by side.
I guess the proper english name for it would be "a small pull side float".
http://www.skinnlaaven.no/prod/HULLRASP_630530/Borr-og-filer_75445/NOR/NOK

An issue that has been mentioned before, but that I can't see here, is that a glove on the hammer hand can give a slippery grip and subsequent strain injury.
I had a six month involuntary break from smithing because of this. It took several months before I could even open a screwcap bottle the normal way, and now almost two years later I still can't screw on woodworking clamps as hard as I used to.

Wouldn't it be easier to drift the hole before you upset the face?