What I was referring to as an “auto quench,” and the term may not be correct, is from the very localize heat of the weld being rapidly cooled by the conduction to the surrounding material. This is why it is recommended to preheat before welding higher carbon/tool steels. 
I’m not completely sure how hot you would want to heat the frame to overcome the HAZ issues, but you may want to think of it as over tempering a hardened tool. Hopefully, there are no issues with HAZ cracking, just hardness/brittleness that need reduced.

I’m not an expert on this, but I’d hate for you to end up hurt if the HAZ area fails with a miss hit. If there’s someone with more experience, maybe they can give more accurate directions, or say I’m over concerned.

David

If it hasn't cracked already then you could just temper it to 500 degF or so.  As any cracks could be buried inside the material don't be surprised if they show up later.  What usually surprises people with HAZ cracking is that it generally occurs next to the area welded and not in the weld itself.

I know an old cowboy who broke the frame on his old pickup and welded it back up. He was telling me that had happened several more times since only near the weld(s).  I explained that he had a heat treated frame and had HAZ issues and how to deal with them.  I haven't heard how things are going yet as he live up on the mountain a ways.  IIRC his ranch is about 10 x 11 sections.

I got the diagonal peen hardened and handled. So of course I had to start on my hammer tongs. Reduced about 2" of 1" square by half in 3 heats. I like it!

 

 

Finished a scrolling wrench from a unit V rail anchor, the same as the one in the back. Rather pleased with it. 

As you should be.. Well done. I love the whole thing about it.. As forged or left to normalize. 

8 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

just temper it to 500 degF or so

Ok I'll throw it on the oven for a bit to temper it.

Great looking hammer and scrolling fork CC and JHCC

Normalized, if you count the last couple of heats for hot-filing.

Also did a few test rivets with the new header. Worked pretty well, but I think I might need to add the alignment pin Frosty suggested. Also need to work on my hammer technique!

Champagne Saber from a V rail anchor (seems to be the «à la mode» material  ).  Tested it ! So... go to heat trait and final sanding.

Welded up a grid for the cart that followed me home the other day, to turn it into a hardy and other bottom tool holder. There will also be lots of room on the shelves for other tools and jigs. The cart has locking casters, so it should make rearranging and cleaning the shop easier.

I ran a section of steel grid down the middle and welded some short sections of 1/4" rod on either side; here the center section is just being used as a spacing guide:

And here it is!

(Time to make some more tools, I think.)

Also added a little folding support to my horizontal bandsaw; the hydraulic cylinder doesn't like to support the saw itself at any kind of decent height while I'm clamping things in place. This is just a length of 1/4" rod that holds the frame up when it's up and drops down when not needed.

  

JHCC , nice scrolling wrench !

 

Thanks!

Ya'll have been busy. I've done nothing as I'm out of coal, and the source is "closed for the duration."  I guess it's back to charcoal despite the fire risk of "fire flies".

 

I always try to comment on the fine work everyone shows off. My signal or data or whatever it is keeps tanking, so I don't get to get on very much. But there's lots of great things to look at. 

bluerooster, sorry to hear that. I haven't done a lot because I've been so busy in Coronavirus World with other things. But here's some that I still need to finish up. His, hers, and baby makes three. I've got another knife in the shop and I've got a fork to forge still to go with the little spoon. Not perfect of course, but I'm getting it down. Each piece teaches me what I need to do better next time. 

Very nice work. 

 

CGL your table ware looks amazing. Very clean and symmetrically forged. What is the stock size that you start with?

 Start of another knife and a dragon fly for a friend.  Only a little propane left in the tank,  just enough for one last project,  whipped off a set of tongs. 

bluerooster and CC, thank you both. The knife is from an odd size piece of flat bar and the other pieces are 3/8" round. 

Dogsoldat, nice work. I'll have to make me a dragonfly one of these days.

This evening, I cooked down some more borax, failed at several forge welds, then finished up a handled fuller. It’s about a 1/2” diameter. Not real happy with it, but I should do the job, after I get a handle on it.

David

Hi Everyone,

Keeping myself amused forging little lizards out of old threaded rod. And building up some stock of longhorn card holders.

Great work everyone! I've been busy and haven't been on in a few days so I had a lot to look at today and too many items to comment on individually. I had a chance to fire up the forge yesterday and decided to try my hand at making flowers to surprise my wife.

The work from a couple weeks ago all polished up. 

My favorite out of this grouping would have to be what I’m calling for now at least, the “elephants foot flatter hybrid”. Inspiration was taken from the elephants foot flatter Ethan Harty makes. I think this flatter is the nicest design I have seen.

Happy Easter!!

 

Nice work, lbs! That flatter reminds me of when I was young, and my dad would threaten at every birthday and Christmas to get us “an elephant’s foot umbrella stand full of peanut butter.”  Well, when he turned fifty, I made an elephant’s-foot-shaped pot in ceramics class, just the right size for a jar of Jiff. I don’t think I’d ever seen him laugh so hard!

No forging today for me, but I did clean and rearrange my workspace:

Nice  JHCC

Although looking at your hammer rack gave me hammer envy!  But who am I kidding I don't know how to use the ones I have YET!

Here's a better shot of the hammer and tool racks:

Nice  JHCC

Although looking at your hammer rack gave me hammer envy!  But who am I kidding I don't know how to use the ones I have YET!

JHCC

A close up was not nice !  I could clearly see my lack of hammers with out the blow up version . I currently have 2 

A sad state of affairs