MattBower Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Is it all that important that you get that extra 10% of performance out of a cold chisel or hammer head in the context of a blacksmith shop. No, in many cases I don't think it is. That's my point, really: in many cases simple methods can produce perfectly functional tools in that context, especially when you err in the direction of toughness rather than hardness. A somewhat softer than ideal tool is going to be pretty tough (in the sense that it'll tend to bend rather than break), so it can usually be re-dressed and/or rehardened when needed. A tool that's too hard may break. So if you oil quench 1045 and end up with a tool that's far from fully hardened, then give it an imperfect temper, it's probably no big deal. It's still going to be a good bit harder than hot 1018, and it's not likely to fail in a way that can't be fixed fairly easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I am not a big fan of 1045 its a bit too soft for my taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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