ok well i am at the stage now where i can start to maby sell stuff so i need to know how to quench..
i ushally just drop my thing im a tub of water when im done...

i want things that are delicate like a small leaf hook to be strong so when the owner is hammerin it in if he misses and hits the leaf it wont shatter...

just need to know how to make things strong and last..i paint alot of things also..i use cheap paint (2 49 a can) unless it will be used heavy duty..

also if i want to paint a bbq fprl is it safe to paint the fork end or shpuld i keep it unpainted and real shiny

Edited August 21, 200817 yr by Sabre

If you forge mild steel it will not harden in water....Metal things in the food chain can be coated with cooking oil

Sabre, I'll agree with Rich. Don't paint anything that will contact food. Just use cooking oil on that part. Paint only the handle and shaft, etc. I make a lot of camp cooking utensils and coat mine with cooking or mineral oil.

well do you gring off the scale and black after u coat it?

because i am hopeing on making one tonight

Dropping it in water *may* make it prone to shattering. Most of the "mild steel" sold is really A36 and may have enough carbon in it to harden and turn brittle if quenched.

Letting it cool in still air, called normalization, makes for a tougher steel. I toss pieces out the door into the desert, drop them on the concrete shop floor, or rest them on the soapstone slab that protects the wooden bench my gasser is on.

You know the trick about sticking the piece in vinegar overnight to get rid of the scale? Washing it with water and a scrubbrush the next day and the scale washes off as a black gunk. Faster, Easier and SAFER than using a wire brush!

ya i guess kuz ive had my piece ripped from my hand and thrown at the wass al my hand sucked agaist the wire wheel(ouch)

the rod i use is about 5/16 and is a shiny silver...i find when i wire wheel it off the shiny allmost completely comes back...i am also going to try to leave my items in the acid like the bp and ill try vinagar to...

Would cromic acid work also?

If by cromic acid you mean chromic acid, then yes it might work, but you probably shouldn't use it. Anything involving chromates is highly toxic to humans and can produce toxic fumes. In any case, it's not in kidsmith territory (or, for that matter, in most young adultsmith territory either).

A cardinal rule of Hobbies is: Thou Shalt Not Make Your Home/Shop/Neighborhood A Superfund Site!

Generally sticking with stuff that is easily bought used and disposed of is suggested rather than using stuff that takes special hazardous waste disposal at elevated cost!

I have a 5 gallon bucket of vinegar with a resealable lid; just drop things in, (good for rusty tools too) and come back later---it generally doesn't hurt even if it's the next weekend. When it becomes weak I let it evaporate away while using the other bucket I have.

well i was just thinking chromic acid kuz my dad has a huge tank of it that he uses to clean off headders and engine parts (prolly spelt it wrong) ive messed with the acid b4 and it seems pretty powerfull..

Will any of your items ever be used in food preperation? If so stick to things like vinegar that are "food safe" I use parafin wax as a finish for many of my "in the field forgings" as it is a food safe item and I make a lot of S-hooks, Tripods, Trivits, Toasting Forks and even a kettle or two.