Unsure about heat treating

[vfs]

Hello!

I tried to make some blades these days and I had a lil problem with quenching. I've read everywhere that you have to heat the steel to a red color or quench when it gets non-magnetic. Well, I kept a magnet close to my "furnace" (a crappy bunch of bricks and charcoal) and when the blade got reddish and non-magnetic, I brine quenched it. For my surprise, it was even softer than before!

My doubt is if I used mild steel, since I got the stock of steel (2mm x 45mm x 250mm) from the trashcan of a building, and there were no label on it... Is it possible to soften the steel in normal conditions, in this proceeding, or perhaps I did something wrong, like heating less than needed? I'm affraid to try again and waste a lot of material, fuel and time...

I'm starting to think about the golden rule of junk yard steel:
"If you saw it hard, you can hard it."

The stock I used was quite soft while working... this is why I started to think of it being mild steel... I'm trying broken hoes to make others blades and it's a very though steel. Maybe this one will get hard after the quench?

Another thing: I'd like to know if someone has the Tim Lively & Tai Goo knife making video and would like to know about Jeff's forge/furnace, that is shown
here: http://www.survival.com/images/9vo9.jpg

How to build that one?

TIA, and sorry about the long post and misc topics...

vfs

[GANNMADE]

heattreat any junk metal first to see if it will harding first.
it will save time best spent with good steel .
car springs are a good source of steel.


check the other posts for good info on steel and such.


goodluck

[Terry_Dodson]

Hi, i think Tim Lively is almost done with a NEW video, here is the link to his board http://pub88.ezboard.com/ftheneotrib...cID=1359.topic I am new to this stuff so i dont think i could answer any thing else, just wanted you to know about the new video.