I am thinking about fabricating a large pry bar for moving heavy equipment. (I'm too cheap to buy one for $140). I have the tube steel for the handle and some 1/2", approx 3" X 7", plate to make the working end of the pry bar. I plan to cut the fork shaped plate, bevel the end, heat it up, 2" from the end, to bend it at an angle, and before I weld it onto the handle I need to temper or heat treat the plate. I don't have a forge so I plan on using a rosebud torch. I guess I need to heat it up to red hot & quench it in old motor oil? Then put it in the oven & heat it up to 400deg to temper the plate? I value any help and imput.
Thanks,
Les

What sort of steel is it that you're planning to use for the end? How do you know that it's hardenable, let alone that an oil quench is appropriate? What makes you think 400 is the appropriate tempering temperature? (That'd be in the ballpark for a knife blade, but if you're using high carbon steel it's liable to be too brittle for a pry bar. On the other hand, if you're using something marginally hardenable it might do.) Why do you want to heat treat before welding? Assuming you do it that way, what're you planning to do to keep the heat of the welding process from ruining the temper of the heat treated piece?

Thanks MattBower for your response. I don't have many answers for you. I am, I guess, just throwing this up against the wall to see what sticks. I bought the 1/2" plate from SSS Steel in Houston. I'ts regular plate steel. I don't know what the carbon content is. I guess it is too soft to use as is and will easily bend when prying something heavy. I was hoping the weld is far enough away, from the bend in the plate, that it would not affect the temper. Sounds like I'm wrong. How would you do this?
Les

Places that sell new steel will provide you with the data for heat treating the exact steel you buy. "regular plate steel" does not have enough carbon to benefit from heat treat. I suggest you read the stickies on heat treat in the kife forum or even better yet go into the bps and read the heat treat one by Quenchcrack..#0078 if I remember correctly. Using a torch to heat treat half inch will not likely work out and it is wayyyy hotter than needed and will be difficult for you to obtain a uniform temperature for this task.The pry bars I use for similiar tasks all are solid steel end to end and I do not believe a tubular steel handle will do wot you wish. The other side of this is: You have the materials, make one and see how it works.

super quench will give you a "little" more hardness on mild steel,i agree with don't use tubulers for leverage, but use what ya got, i would try to find solid material like sucker rods,but i have only made small bars out of then about 2' long, good luck and let us know how it turns out,jimmy

What Rich said. I think you'd be better-off starting with a known (or at least strongly suspected), medium carbon steel, preferably one piece. Of course pieces of decent steel that large and heavy can get a little expensive if you're not a good scrounger. But that's partly why the commercial pry bars you're looking at aren't cheap.

I wasn't trying to give you a hard time with my questions; I honestly didn't know if you had answers to them or not.

i agree with don't use tubulers for leverage, but use what ya got

This pry bar I'm trying to describe is used for moving heavy equipment. Kind of like a mule without wheels. The tube steel I'm thinking about is rectangular in shape. 1"X2" tube steel with 3/16 wall. The tube steel is knotched & welded onto the flat plate. Anyway what have I got to loose? I'm not opposed to buying a store bought one but I have a lot more time than money.
Les

I'm familiar with the kind of bar you're talking about, got one around here somewhere. Should try to find a chunk of leaf spring for that. Shops that do suspension work often have broken ones. If you get it shaped you shouldn't have to worry about heat treat. Good idea after it cools down from welding to heat it to where it will sizzle spit real good. Heck, just stick it in a wood fire for four or five minutes.

Last time i was at my local scrap yard they had some various forklift forks laying around. Lop the end off of one of those, and it should make a decent large pry bar end. The rest of the fork will have a bunch of other uses.