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Note: I'd definitely clean up the steel if this works out.
And another question: Is the type of barstock steel that you'd buy in a hardware store annealed?
1st. If the steel is the everyday run of the mill cheap steel at the hardware store, then yes it is annealed. And it will stay annealed too. Cheap steel DOES NOT have enough carbon(the material that makes steel harder than iron) in it to get hard enough for a knife. The steel might ROCKWELL about 4 or 5 without heat treatment, and MAYBE a 20 rockwell when heat treated. I knife needs to be about 50- 62 rockwell (depending on the length and girth of the knife. Longer knives need about 50- 55 and normal length knife about 55-62) Cheap steel WILL not hold the edge without hardness. You need some 1095 tool steel (yes it will come in unharded state). The cheap steel is just that cheap, however, that doesn't mean that it is not bad to practice on. It would be benafical to practice with it.
When you get everything down packed then you need some steel with some carbon in it. Old file make great knives. Anneal them, work them, reharden them, and then temper them (means to stress releave the steel. If you don't it will be to hard and break because it will be too britle. Case knive are double temperd).
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Is the type of barstock steel that you'd buy in a hardware store annealed?
All steel when bought from any supplier will be in a soft state.
Quote:MORE INFORMATION: it was heated with Mapp Gas (hotter than propane) and quenched in 50:1 2 cycle motor oil (not mixed with gas of course
When you heat the steel it has to be at a certain temperture to be hardend right. There are several ways to do this. First you could have a steel oven and set the temp and then you would know what temp it is at. 2nd you could tell by the color of the steel. Since i am pretty sure you are not a experanced blacksmith or welder that may not work. 3rd, when steel get to the desired temp, if you put a magnet to it, it WILL not stick. If it sticks then it need to be hotter. If it sticks then quench it. As for your method of cooling it. You can use water, oil, or air. If you buy o2 tool steel, then use oil. If you use a2 tool steel the use air. I would not recomend 50 to 1 two cylcle motor oil. As it burns (?) in the engine. I would use the cheap motor oil. 30 weight with now detergent. Used motor oil will work too as it has extra carbon in it from use. It will add a little carbon to the steel.
I am a machinists that has to heat treat metal. I am not a blacksmith. I good blacksmith may be able to turn cheap steel with little carbon in it in to a usable knife (by adding carbon). But because i am not a blacksmith i would not know how to tell you how to do it. Lobohunter hear on this board is the master blacksmith so maybe he could help you with that.