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I Forge Iron

proper heat treat for 51XX leaf spring?


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Got free mystery leaf springs. Yay sparks hi carbon and my next question is dip or edge quench in 100 degree plus oil then normalize. What temp how long how many times? Is multiple quenches a good thing? I'm going to make a blank and give it the leg vice and vice grips test. How far along to finish does this test need to be? Daily carry utility farm is the planned usage.

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It depend on wot you wish to see with your testing. If you are wanting to see if it is able to be hardened in oil and would like to see the grain pattern if it breaks, you have to use the proper sequence for hardening. We covered that in one of the early knife making lessons. Forgive me it I don't retype all of that in this little box.

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51XX?  that in itself will have a huge effect on how the steel moves.  Lets assum 5160, I've found it is very forgiving.  It will move a little even when at a red heat , doesn't red short like 1095.  More than likely it already had cracks, if not that then I'd tend to think it was being worked to cool while trying to move more than one should (like with a power hammer).  Then again, not enough info on how it was being worked.

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51XX? that in itself will have a huge effect on how the steel moves. Lets assum 5160, I've found it is very forgiving. It will move a little even when at a red heat , doesn't red short like 1095. More than likely it already had cracks, if not that then I'd tend to think it was being worked to cool while trying to move more than one should (like with a power hammer). Then again, not enough info on how it was being worked.


Very insightful. Yes I did use a power hammer and most probably let the metal get too cool. I'll definetly watch the heat. Yellow/orange sound about right?
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What i generally do it at, by hand hammering though.

Have only had trouble with it cracking once, made a BIG chopping blade for bush outings was working around with,(was going to see how it went then sell it) Quenched in hot oil, looked fine,good weight, big but not too top heavy, could've made an improvised axe.

Got home and decided not to temper it right away, next morning big crack from the side curving inwards.

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What i generally do it at, by hand hammering though.
Have only had trouble with it cracking once, made a BIG chopping blade for bush outings was working around with,(was going to see how it went then sell it) Quenched in hot oil, looked fine,good weight, big but not too top heavy, could've made an improvised axe.
Got home and decided not to temper it right away, next morning big crack from the side curving inwards.


Stress did not get relieved by normalizing? Is that a bigger problem the bigger the piece?
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