Steve Sells

add t that the fact the OP has not been here in 3,5 years either

Have you tried reading the sticky posts in the heat treating sections yet?

its actually the other way around, the machine is next to useless on PW steels. Files are preferred for pattern welded blades, the Rockwell tester only gets one spot of that one layer, the files will allow an average reading

I had to work so I missed out this year

Do not use table salt. The most commonly used salts are nitrate-based and these can be used from temperatures of 300°F through 1100°F (150°C – 595°C). see here https://www.globalspec.com/learnmore/materials_chemicals_adhesives/industrial_oils_fluids/heat_treatment_salts

No trouble with feral hogs around here, but feral teenagers on the other hand...

Yea Ha, ya did it, congrats, you are now a sword maker

While its a very true statement, 4th degree burns are from Nuclear reactions, just a FYI

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The 5 minute epoxys tend to fall apart at the 4 to 5 year mark, as explained in the knife making series. Never use the fast set epoxys on things you want to last

Have you ever made a blade before or are you just jumping in?

not many use a press to make a sword, I use a hammer

UV is at the other ends of the light spectrum from IR. Just using a simple TINTED pair will not block IR, in fact they cause the iris to open further allowing more IR into the eye, dont mess with your eye site, you only have 2 eyes and forging by the braille method isnt fun I hear

so you are saying you want to intentionally contaminate a CO2 tank? Assuming you found someone to do that for you how would you feel in trusting them when you buy a tank from them, as to what is really in it if they will cheat like that?

A6 graphite crucible 4.5 Lbs 5160 1.5 Lbs white cast iron Broken glass for a crucible cover From chapter 13 of my second book, on making wootz It is important to know the carbon content of the cast iron you are going to use. We already know the base metal of 5160 is at roughly 0.6%. Weigh out the amount of 5160 and adjust the amount of cast iron to come up with a final total of around 1.5% carbon. Being a little off will not be a problem. Place the charge into the graphite crucible and cap with a covering of the broken glass. Furnace temperatures will take 60 to 90 minutes to reach above 2700°F (1500°C). Then allow 15 minutes to rest at temperature before placing in hot box to cool slowly to room temperature. Upon removal from the crucible, if the color of the Wootz puck has a very brassy appearance, it could indicate that the carbon content is too high. Any over-carburizing of the ingot from the crucible will turn the steel into cast iron