Has Anybody Tried

[knots]

Has anybody tried using a toaster oven using the convection setting for heat treating punches and chisels for use around the shop ? The cook wants a new one and it seems a shame to throw the old one out.

One possible part of this plan might be wrapping the tools in foil for treatment to reduce the influence of radiant heat in the process, and use a low tempeature thermostatic probe to track temperature.

[Spears]

I use a small toaster oven for "tempering" some of my dies. i.e. holding something at 400 degrees for hours at a time. I'm unfamiliar with toaster ovens that can bring a piece of steel to 1600-2000 degrees which is the temperature I use for hardening my punches and chisels. I would like to get my hands on an oven that can do that though.

[dablacksmith]

ive used a toaster oven for tempering....

[knots]

I use a small toaster oven for "tempering" some of my dies. i.e. holding something at 400 degrees for hours at a time. I'm unfamiliar with toaster ovens that can bring a piece of steel to 1600-2000 degrees which is the temperature I use for hardening my punches and chisels. I would like to get my hands on an oven that can do that though.

Yes the tempering part is what I meant to refer to. Although I have a small ceramic kiln hat would get plenty hot to harden, I don't use it for that purpose. The materials that I use are mostly common alloys . Do you just use the oven's temperature controls ?

[Dodge]

Tempering is a heat treatment as is hardening.

[Steve Sells]

One possible part of this plan might be wrapping the tools in foil for treatment to reduce the influence of radiant heat in the process, and use a low tempeature thermostatic probe to track temperature.

Useless waste of foil for tempering, and cant harden at that low a temp. so no foil

[knots]

Useless waste of foil for tempering, and cant harden at that low a temp. so no foil

My question refers to heat treatment after hardening. A toaster oven will reach achieve 400 Deg. F tempering temperature easily. The foil would only slow the heat transfer into the work piece. I doubt that this would be an advantage unless a temperature probe were wrapped in the foil along with the work piece to more accurately indicate the temperature of the work piece rather than the general temperature of the oven interior.

[Rich Hale]

Wot you are describing isd an easy deal. I do not use a convection oven I got a toaster oven at thrift store and checked the dial with a thermometor from the wifees oven when she was shopping. i turn that on before I harden steel. It is up to temp when I finish the first step. Into the oven for wot I know it will take for wot I want at the end. done deal. No wrap no probe. Easy as I like it!

[knots]

Many thanks to all.