I didn't find this question in any other posts.... I may be safe :)

[Tommie Hockett]

I looked it up on google but I get very conflicting answers. I remember hearing (at some point in my sgort inexperienced life haha) that you could add carbon to steel by heating it up and dipping it in sugar. I am not plannong on doing this I am just curious if it is possible to do? Thanks for yall's time and apologies if there is already a post about this and I missed it. Also not sure if this is the correct place to ask. Would one of the moderators be so kind as ti move it for me if it is the wring place? 

[ThomasPowers]

Yes it's a form of case hardening; but not very effective one.  Just like you can soak carbon into hot steel by immersing it in diamonds.

If you really want to know about case hardening to an excessive amount of detail may I commend to your attention": "The Cementation of Iron and Steel : Federico Giolitti" which should be available for free download.  I have it in original hardback in my ferrous metalworking library.

Many people think they can rescue a knife they have forged out of low carbon steel by case hardening; unfortunately you usually grind and polish off the steel deeper than the case penetrates.  There are historical methods of doing this---search on blister steel for one where wrought iron was place in carbon filled stone chests that were kept red hot for a week. The blistered metal could then be made into shear steel by stacking and welding. Or in slightly more recent times made into crucible steel.

The Fuel and expense of making steel made it quite expensive!

Note: I googled: sugar iforgeiron.com  and the first three entries covered this.  As the internal search feature is lacking on this website; may I suggest you use your favorite search engine for the search term(s) and then add iforgeiron.com to localize it.

[JHCC]

2 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

the internal search feature is lacking on this website;

The trick to using the internal search feature is to go to the top page of the community (https://www.iforgeiron.com/) and search from there. Keep in mind that this will return the most recent results first (not necessarily the most relevant), so just searching on sugar will also get you @ThomasPowers and @Frosty talking about their respective blood sugar levels.

[Frosty]

You know Tom, if you're going to bait us like that you'll never be safe.  Come to think of it I think I'm getting to like you. I LOVE a straight line.

Our blood sugar levels aren't very respective of us at all John, that's the problem!

Frosty The Lucky.

[SLAG]

Frosty,

Are you hinting that your blood sugar level is too sweet ? ?  ?

Personally I'll stick with coca cola.

SLAG.

[Lou L]

If you prefer video you can check out Green Beetle on YouTube.  He uses the technique in some of his videos and shows its limitations.  If the steels is relatively thin and you use a heat Treating oven to bake it for a long time you can get decent effect.  But, as Thomas already said, it will be a case hardening.  Just check the videos, you will enjoy them.  Here is his explanation of the effectiveness of his case hardening:  https://youtu.be/6eKdT-TH5Hk

 

Lou

 

[ThomasPowers]

It's too low that turns us into grouches---or unconscious and convulsing... 

[Tommie Hockett]

Wow thanks for all of your replies. I will remember to search through bing or google for future searchs. JHCC you nailed it bud, no matter how I phrased it on the search box I came up with people talking about their blood sugar haha. Lou loved the videos thanks and Frosty I didnt realize that my topic would bait the curmudgeons until your response actually made me laugh out loud :). Thomas your book suggestions are awesome I appreciate it. You are going to keep me in reading material for the next century! I tell you I would love to peruse your library.

[Frosty]

Truth is I thought you were tossing out a little friendly bait. We're always looking for players and your subject had me laughing too hard to reply right away. 

Too sweet Slag? How can there possibly be too much BS? Comagain?

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

Yes this place tends to get like the Old Pharts at a local Diner who have been joshing each other for years!---But if you can get a good question into them you can ge centuries of personal experience, not to mention quite a bit of book larning.  I've actually was tring to make blister steel once and helt the material at too high a heat for too long and got carbon contents in the cast iron ranges.  I took a 1.5"? piece of pipe and closed off one end and filled it with powdered charcoal and then stuck some real wrought iron in it and then heated and crimped the open end and then stick it along the side of my propane forge as I worked and kept track of the hours it was up to glowing; after about 30 hours over a number of sessions the pipe had pretty well scaled away and the wrought iron acted like cast iron when I tried to weld it in a billet.