May 7, 201313 yr I have a pry bar that i broke one of the nail pulling ears off of. I thought it would make a great blacksmithing project to cut off the other ear, and reform the nail puller jaw. the question is. how is the standard crow bar, or pry bar heat treated? (this is the standard 6 sided hex bar with a more than 90deg bend on the nail puller end and a slight bend on the other flatened end) Are these heat treated? I would think air quench would mean the steel is to soft for prying, but water quench would make it to brittle and subject to fracture especially when being beat on with a hammer.
May 7, 201313 yr You would need to establish what kind of steel you are dealing with first. Then temper it to a very tough temper.
May 7, 201313 yr As forged or normalized is pretty good heat treat for most pry bars. Otherwise I would say spring temper ought to work... but we've had this discussion before on here and most seem to agree on "as forged" or "normalized" for pry bars.
May 7, 201313 yr Do not harden it. The user may be on top of a roof, pulling with all their might, if the bar breaks they will fall. It is better to err on the side of caution. Like what has been said, normalize only. Straighten the bar, reforge a new end, bend to an accepted radius (NOT TOO TIGHT). Neil
May 7, 201313 yr You will know better after you re-forge it and test it. The proof is in the pulling.
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