On Mar 16, 10:24*am, "Flash" wrote:
wrote in message

...

To All:

Often times we have the need to create small but accurate shapes in
metal or wood.

{{SNIP}}



Collect all of the blades in a shallow pan and cover them with an
eighth of an inch of motor oil. *Now set the oil on fire. *Allow the
fire to burn out. *It's going to be smokey as hell so you want to do
this outside of your shop. *When the fire goes out, tip the blades out
of the shallow pan onto a piece of iron and allow them to cool.

Once the blades have cooled you may continue with your sharpening.
They should take a razor edge. *If they crack, you've either left them
in the bomb too long or you've cooled them too fast. *The tempering
(ie, burning-off) should not effect the cracking one way or another.

Robert,
You are simply amazing. *Your directions fit right there with what all my
father attempted to teach so many years ago. *(The forge is long gone).

But the tempering process . . . is there a method less smoky and noxious?
For the faint of heart who live in an area where the neighbors are less
tolerant of *flames and smoke?

Thanks

Flash
(Yeah, my neighbors only put up with *a certain amount of disturbance, and
the Mayor is not exactly a personal friend)

Quench in used cooking oil, smokes but less fire, and anneal in a
toaster oven to around 460F.
http://www.caribooblades.com/makingahook.html
Karl