Clayton M.

Would it be okay to use the backyardmetalcasting recipe for a forge that gets up to about 1500 degrees? I know this might not be the best place to ask this question as it is in the foundry section but I need to get an answer from someone soon.

Thanks Dodge. It's nice to know that not everyone thinks newbies are ignorant and stupid.

I'm not interested in making swords yet i've read enough to know that making swords is way above my head at this point in time, i was merely curious as to the making of hilts and how it's done.

I'm new to blacksmithing and bladesmithing but i've got a question that i wanted the answer to. Swords and some knives have hilts on them and i was wondering is it better to forge the hilt or to make one and solder it into place later? I'm not planning on making a sword or anything big for awhile, but i'm just curious about how it's done.

Do i need to re-harden it before trying again or can i just do another cycle? I would assume i have to re-harden the knife.

I tempered my first knife a day ago at about 400 degrees( my toaster oven only goes by hundreds of degrees). I put it in the oven and left it there for two hours. When i pulled it out it came out looking like a rainbow.What did i do wrong? I've spent some time thinking about it and i've come up with a few ideas as to why that happened. I put the knife in the oven diagonally because that was the only way it would fit, the middle of the knife turned blue right where that knife rested, above the heating element, on the rack.The blue is interrupted by a bronze strip exactly where the knife rested above the heating element. The reason i'm wondering what happened is because i thought at 400 degrees the whole knife would take on a straw color not any other color let alone a rainbow of most of the oxidation colors. Can anyone help me understand what happened? Should i continue with another tempering cycle, or should i start over and re-harden the blade and try again?

Thank you. I probably wouldn't have figured that out for a while, so thank you so much Dodge.

My problem with using a kitchen oven is this, i quenched the blade in motor oil and when i ground the carbon off the blade to get it ready to temper i could taste and smell the motor oil. It's not a pleasant taste and i don't want to have to smell the rest of the residue that i wasn't able to get off the of the blade. Otherwise using the kitchen oven would be a wonderful idea and i would do it except for the motor oil. I would do it if i didn't live with my parents and had my own place but i don't.

My problem is that i don't think my piece will fit in a toaster oven, the knife measures 12 1/2 inches long from handle to blade. I could use a kitchen oven but i'd like to avoid doing so just because i fell that it would be a waste just to do one piece. Anyways here are the pictures of my knife, i know it may look a little weird bit there wasn't much steel to work with, and it is my first piece.

Thanks guys. you saved me a lot of hassle, thank you,

I've spent quite a bit of time looking on the heat treating forum and on other forums on this sight. I can't figure out a general tempering time for a knife. I know a guy who used to make knives for TOPS Knives and he said that the knife i made would probably take anywhere from two to three hours to temper. I'll post a picture of the knife when i can find a picture of it. I also don't know what kind of steel the knife's made of. The steel came from an old style pitchfork and that's all i know about it.