Serious question, why do so many folks rush the final heat before quenching?

I watched a friend in the shop crack a blade last week because he pulled it from the forge at a bright orange, not the dull cherry red it needed. That extra 50 degrees makes a huge difference in grain structure. Anyone else have a specific color they watch for with 1080 steel?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.emma2mo ago

Honestly, seen plenty of blades get made just fine without that level of stress. Color in a bright shop is super subjective anyway. Your friend might have had a flaw in the steel already. Sometimes a crack just happens, doesn't have to be a big lesson.

jamiekim2mo ago

My buddy's shop in Toledo has three guys who forge blades without any fancy color charts. They just go by feel and the steel turns out fine every time. I've watched them work for years and never saw a crack that wasn't from a clear mistake like a cold shut. Maybe we're all overthinking the science part of it. A lot of this craft is just hands-on experience that's hard to write down in a rule book.