OK, I was trying to temper some knives in the oven at home (not ideal, I know), but the oven is extremely well insulated and holds its temperature very well.
The steel I start with is old saw steel so its pretty hard. Then after shaping I heat them with a rosebud torch and quench in used motor oil. Once quenched, I sand the scale off with a 120, 240, 320, 400, and sometimes a 600 grit. Some blades even get a polish. Once cleaned I temper them in the oven.
I had the oven set to 425 and was trying to closely monitor the colors of my blades. As soon as I noticed the honey/straw color, I took them out and set them on a rack to cool. But, when I came back to get them I noticed that some of the blades had changed to a mixture of brown, gold, and purple (kinda reminds me of motor oil on water). Is that bad for the steel I use?
The steel I start with is old saw steel so its pretty hard. Then after shaping I heat them with a rosebud torch and quench in used motor oil. Once quenched, I sand the scale off with a 120, 240, 320, 400, and sometimes a 600 grit. Some blades even get a polish. Once cleaned I temper them in the oven.
I had the oven set to 425 and was trying to closely monitor the colors of my blades. As soon as I noticed the honey/straw color, I took them out and set them on a rack to cool. But, when I came back to get them I noticed that some of the blades had changed to a mixture of brown, gold, and purple (kinda reminds me of motor oil on water). Is that bad for the steel I use?
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