Heat treatment question

Sure.... it's often done.

Case-hardeneing. Get some caseknit (sp?) from a gun supply Or you can use something like ground-up bone or other organic material. Pack it into a tin can with the piece surrounded on all sides with the bone. Crimp the can shut, and toss into the fireplace. Remove when cool.

Yeah, but that doesn't harden it. That only carburizes it. Heating it to cherry red after it's carburized, and then quenching in water, hardens it.

Of course, that's an oversimplification. And I'm not sure about the hardenability of leaded steel. I think it works, but I'm not sure. Maybe somebody else knows.

-- Ed Huntress

. And I'm not sure about the

While leaded material (12L14) will respond to conventional treatments, they are not considered case hardening steels. Better results will be obtainied by using either 1018 or 1117.

Harold

hardens it.

I've case hardened 12L14 with both Kasenit and pack hardening. Works fine. I don't think it's normally spec'd as a case hardening steel in industry, but the lead doesn't appear to interfere with the case hardening process. At least in the rigorous laboratory testing done in my garage it doesn't.

George

I'm glad you brought that up, George, because I've had an idea along that line for a long while but I didn't want to fool around with experiments.

-- Ed Huntress