Lynn Kasdorf
Plastic
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2002
- Location
- Leesburg, VA USA
Over the weekend I fabricated a nice turning tool for my wood lathe. I bought a 1/4" x 2" x 7" piece of A2 tool steel. I milled a flat on some 1/2" mild steel rod (with my little Atlas shaper), and silver soldered the rod to the A2.
I have ground the contour that I want and now I need to harden the tool.
I've not been able to find any good description of the proper way to air harden A2 steel, if you are a home shop guy like me. I think the thing to do is to harden the end of the tool where it needs hold an edge, which is good because I don't have a furnace anyway.
Here is what I thought I might try. Heat the cutting edge with my oxy-acetylene torch to the point where a magnet no longer sticks to it. Then cool off with compressed air and a blow gun. Or, should I just let it cool on its own? Or, do I want to slow down the cooling rate by wrapping it in some sort of thermal foil?
I've searched the archives and not found an answer to this particular question.
Thanks much.
I have ground the contour that I want and now I need to harden the tool.
I've not been able to find any good description of the proper way to air harden A2 steel, if you are a home shop guy like me. I think the thing to do is to harden the end of the tool where it needs hold an edge, which is good because I don't have a furnace anyway.
Here is what I thought I might try. Heat the cutting edge with my oxy-acetylene torch to the point where a magnet no longer sticks to it. Then cool off with compressed air and a blow gun. Or, should I just let it cool on its own? Or, do I want to slow down the cooling rate by wrapping it in some sort of thermal foil?
I've searched the archives and not found an answer to this particular question.
Thanks much.