Haybudden Anomaly

[Gazz]

Some thirty years ago I answered an ad in the local classifieds for some metalworking  tools and such.  The seller was a real estate guy and had the task of cleaning out an old  shop in Salem Massachusetts.  The ad did not mention an anvil but there it was, with a 1" thick piece of steel welded on edge to the face.  I went home with a bunch of stuff including a Marvel No2 draw cut saw (which has since self destructed), pry bars and various other had tools and the anvil for $200.  I knew that the anvil was never going to be the best with hunk of steel welded to it but the price was right.  I got it home and cut the piece of plate off with a grinder and then carefully dressed the remaining weld off to the face.  I took a hammer and bounced it along the face and while it had good rebound and ring on most of the face, the spot where the plate was welded had a dull thud noise to it and little rebound.  Still plenty of good face to work off of though.  I had another anvil already and used that one primarily while the Haybudden provided backup.  Recently, I sold my other anvil and dragged the Haybudden out of the corner and did the hammer test again.  It now has excellent rebound and ring along the entire face -  It's like it healed itself over time!  How could that happen?

[Frosty]

Metal crystals are not static, this is the main reason a piece should be tempered as soon as possible after the quench. Having a piece of high carbon steel become harder is counter-intuitive but I've heard weirder.

Frosty The Lucky.