This was cleaned up REALLY well, placed in the forge and heated to a dark red, fluxed (Borax), heated more, fluxed again, then left to heat until it looked (to me) like a bright yellow. Then I banged on it enough to make sure both sides were making good contact.
I let it cool to black, then I put it in some water (so I could touch it), ground the edges to see how it looked, and then tested it by banging a screwdriver into the V to see how quick it would split.
I’ve had a pistachio give me more trouble coming apart than this.