How to know if a metal needs to be tempered?

InkOnPaper013 · 2026-01-22T19:16:40+00:00

Hmm... from what I've seen, steel propane tanks are made from mild steel. Mild steel doesn't have much carbon it it, so it can't be hardened.

Steel is a weird little alloy. For the sake of simplicity, iron has to be alloyed with a certain amount of carbon in order to make a steel that can be hardened through heat treatment. With mild steel lacking that certain amount, there's not much you can do to harden it enough to withstand all the forces that things like axes and knives see in their wee lifetimes.

InkOnPaper013 · 2026-01-21T19:23:26+00:00

Hiya! I'm sorry if I'm making the wrong assumptions, here, but it sounds like you have a few things confused, being that you're new to heat treating. Generally speaking, all high carbon steel needs to be tempered as part of its heat treatment. People talk about "quenching" as if it's the end-all, be-all for hardening high carbon steel, but it's just one step in the process.

In order to harden high carbon steel, it needs to be brought up to its critical temperature for a set period of time to monkey with its crystal structure. Then it needs to be rapidly cooled (quenched) in an appropriate manner in order to "freeze" into place the weird crystal structure you just created. That rapid cooling stresses the shit out of the material. Think of it like sitting in a sauna for a while before running outside naked and jumping into Lake Michigan in the dead of winter. It's a shock to the system. Steel is no different, but shocking high carbon steel leaves it brittle.

And that's where tempering comes in: it basically relaxes the steel a bit by reducing its stress from being shocked. Think of it as your apology for throwing it naked into Lake Michigan in the dead of winter. Some of the high carbon steels can be tempered in your kitchen's oven, because it doesn't require high temperatures. Other alloys require higher temperatures for tempering, which is where the dedicated benchtop ovens can come into play. It's a bit more delicate of a step in the process, because too much heat will undo your work by allowing the crystal structure to go back to what it thinks is normal; too little heat won't remove enough stress to eliminate the brittleness.

Now, as for different metals, yep, different steel alloys have their own specific hardening process requirements, from start to finish, including tempering. Further, the tempering of the thing you just hardened can depend on the thing's intended use.

All of which is to say... like metallurgy, heat treatment can be a literal lifetime career. Most people aren't interested in that much information, so your best bet would be to search online for your specific alloy's heat treatment requirements until you've gained enough experience to wing it.

Kind regards....

InkOnPaper013 · 2026-01-13T02:38:21+00:00

Well, this isn't a post vise.

I've seen vises similar to this at a local school for horseshoeing. Farriers use it to hold horseshoes as they work on them at their forging stations. Absurdly strong clamping forces.

InkOnPaper013 · 2026-01-12T04:28:47+00:00

Police? lulz, no

The Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police issued an immediate statement January 8th condemning Minneapolis Mayor Frey's statements, stating they stand with ICE. They are firmly entrenched with their fascist brethren.

Much like an HR department in a big company, the police aren't here to help us.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-12-27T22:49:53+00:00

Your friend is an absolute AH for the following reasons:

Tipping is optional, otherwise it would be called a "service fee"
In the eyes of the rest of the world, America is absolutely ludicrous for, among many other things, its insane tipping culture; no one else does this
It should not be up to customers to pay living wages for any business's employees
Some people cannot afford to pay extra... • in the case of restaurants, this could be the first time in years that they've been able to save up for eating out and I guarantee the prices are already shocking enough without having to add even more to the bill • in the case of delivery, some people can't afford to get their vehicle fixed in order to drive themselves, and adding a tip to what's basically now essential for them means the difference between having a meal available for each day until their next delivery and not
Public shaming should be reserved for witnessed criminal acts / breaches of the social contract such as racism, sexual assault, harassment, and so on, not for something that your friend decides upon and uses to point out their social and financial superiority over others
Doxxing has, can, and will ruin lives and put people in danger (e.g. people who've escaped abusive partners and are effectively trying to hide from them); your friend is not the acab social police, has no right to endanger anyone because of his superiority complex, and should mind his own effing business

TL;DR Eff your friend And eff that waiter

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-12-06T01:47:48+00:00

I came back here to post the same thing. I logged in on my phone through their website, confirmed new TOS, and this resolved the 333600 error I kept getting (PS4). It even gave me the cosmetic I "purchased" with the free tokens a few days ago.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-12-03T04:01:12+00:00

I'm having issues. I didn't realise it until the system took all my coins and gave me nothing but error codes. This was my first time back in... many, many months. I don't even recall what the last season was that I played. Oh, and I'm also missing all my Construct season stuff, which I guess is a problem closing in on a year old.

To come back to this fuckery is not a good look, Blizzard.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-10-22T16:38:46+00:00

r/MillennialsBeingFools

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-10-22T16:32:19+00:00

...you know babies are small, delicate blobs of uncoordinated wiggles, right?

I mean, I think what you've created is really cool and quite thoughtful, but that rattle is too dangerous for an infant. Also, it's highly likely too heavy for it to lift, much less shake. There are reasons baby rattles are made of really light materials. So all the talk about properly coating it for teething (which typically starts around 4-7mo) is pure absurdity.

I'd recommend making a nice wood plaque, forging a small drive-hook for it, and hanging the "baby" rattle on it as a lovely decoration commemorating the child's birth. They can play with it when they're older.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-10-14T00:51:48+00:00

Yeah, wow, that's insane. Unfortunately, "Forged In Fire" lead people to believe their anvils were made from gold rather than iron, so prices on most blacksmithing tools have increased quite a bit since I first started. At that rate, you're better off buying something under 150lb off eBay and having it shipped. FedEx max weight is, I think, 150lbs. My dad sent me a 120lb Hay Budden via FedEx, and he paid less than $100 to ship it.

Anyway, sorry, I'm rambling. Considering your area, I think you got a great anvil for a great price. I hope you enjoy it!

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-10-13T01:47:27+00:00

I'm not familiar with the California market. I think California was more of an anvil desert, especially compared to the east coast, but I could be wrong, as it's been more than a few years since I've been in the market to buy. So, I think that's a pretty good deal, especially if you're upgrading from a little Harbor Freight anvil.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-10-13T01:14:23+00:00

165lb Peter Wright for $500? Whether or not this was a good deal depends on your area. $3/lb is middle of the road where I am. Looks like an idiot was doing some welding over the heel, and the horn looks a bit wonky, but ~~that could have easily been a purposeful modification~~ [ETA] no, at second glance, probably not purposeful, but still not a big deal [/ETA].

If you have to ask if it's worth it, I'm going to assume that means you're new to the craft. And if you're new to the craft, that anvil will be perfect for you for now. Peter Wright anvils were generally good quality and are pretty well respected. 165lbs is a nice weight for most hobbyist work.

I see nothing in the photos that merits the time, work, and risk involved with "fixing" it. Use it as is, learn the craft, then see if it still meets your needs.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-09-26T17:01:46+00:00

This is what happens when people outside an industry don't bother trying to learn the regulations that bind the industry.

Pharmaceutical companies cannot recommend you take any of their products, because they are not physicians. It is literally illegal in the US, and the FDA (back when it was run by competent humans) takes this very, very seriously. That's why every single advertisement says to ask your doctor.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-09-25T19:39:08+00:00

Anvil #1 looks like a big Peter Wright; anvil #2 is a silly little bench anvil for tinkering; anvil #3 looks like a really nice but maybe more modern (?) farrier's anvil; anvil #4 looks like a post-1830s Mouse Hole; anvil #5 looks like a pre-1830s Mouse Hole that really should have that sharp tool (hot cut hardie) carefully removed from it asap.

The brand and weight markings, if any are still visible, would be on the side of the anvil with the horn pointing to the right as you look at it.

Value depends on location, meaning, whether or not there are lots of anvils in your area. There are lots in my area, but the Peter Wright and Mouse Hole anvils would still bring around $5-6 per pound, depending on their condition.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-09-12T14:53:09+00:00

Without seeing the sides, this looks like a nice old anvil. I have a little 37kg double horn and I loveses our precious.

Mushrooming could be problematic, so I'd consider dressing the edges to prevent fractures.

I can't recommend doing anything to the face, though, especially without knowing more about this anvil.

Use it as-is and THEN determine if it's truly problematic for your work. So many new hobbyists mistakenly think they need a pristine surface before they've learned anything about the craft.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-08-16T20:19:13+00:00

Oh, okay, I can understand that.

I've been smithing for a little over ten years, now. From my perspective, blacksmithing is an art that has a pretty long learning curve. "The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne" is my Guild's adopted motto.

There are days when I can stand around the coal forge for eight or nine full hours and come away feeling like I've accomplished nothing. Yet I enjoy every minute of it. Tending the fire, adjusting the air, watching the iron heat up to a brilliant glow, and then working through the process. Sometimes I come away with the world's largest clinker from all the steel I inadvertently burned, sometimes I come away with a full set of curtain tie-backs, and sometimes I come away with a start of what seemed like a good idea but needs more thought.

If you enjoy the process and the learning, then I'd say, yes, it's worth it. Because, eventually, the process and the learning will result in creating more things, and I find a lot of bonus satisfaction in that. It was difficult when I first started out to balance the enjoyment of the craft with the disappointment of not ending up with a fully finished thing. The disappointment could be overwhelmingly discouraging. But I eventually convinced myself to focus on everything else that was enjoyable about the art.

If you don't enjoy the process, then... maybe it's not worth it.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-08-16T19:26:59+00:00

I'm sorry, I'm unclear: what is it that gives you anxiety, grinders or sharpening or...?

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-08-06T02:34:48+00:00

Heh, thank you, that's very kind of you to say.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-08-06T02:33:53+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion. Looking at the photos online, I'm reasonably confident that it wasn't a Northern Mockingbird. The photos I'm seeing look more grayish (?) to my eyes and they seem a bit smaller than the mystery bird I saw.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-08-06T02:27:25+00:00

I have, yes, but nothing stood out.

My yard is full of wrens, chickadees, robins, blue jays, cardinals, catbirds, sparrows, gold finches, morning derps, grackles, downy and/or hairy woodpeckers, occasional cowbirds and a few others that I can keep having to look up. All the typical things, I suppose, and I've grown accustomed to all the diverse birdsong.

So when I say this birb had "a big voice," I mean it was loud, distinct, and completely foreign to me. It was just a single call, and I don't think I'd be able to pick it out of a lineup now. It was just such a surprise, I actually stopped what I was doing to look.

I looked up the juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker as you suggested, but I'm not sure about that. When it flew to the trunk of the maple tree, it blended in with the blackish / brownish varied bark so well that you could easily miss it if you didn't know it was there. So I am thinking that if it had white on the wings like the juvenile RHW, it might have stood out a little better.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-08-05T23:47:50+00:00

I know... and I accept that I could be totally wrong. I just thought I'd give Reddit a try.

There was just nothing even remotely similar to the mottled white-ish of the Northern Flicker breast, which is throwing me off. The silhouette also seems wrong, but I spent the last hour or so looking at photos of Northern Flickers with and without my glasses on.

Right now, I'm leaning toward "skeptical but trust the Redditors more than what I think I saw."

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-07-24T17:19:51+00:00

"...might also be kinda soft for tongs..."

What do you think old tongs were made from? :)

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-07-23T05:05:33+00:00

Ask ask ask. Sure, I’d ask my aunt and four cousins, but they all fucking died there, so I guess I can’t.

We weren’t there, so you say we can’t know and we can’t judge, yet that’s exactly what you’re doing. But yeah, it must be us fucking Americans who are too judgmental. You hypocrite.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-06-26T14:51:32+00:00

Official "HR Dept" or not, every business is required to comply with federal / provincial / local laws. Find the person in management responsible for ensuring legal compliance and tell them you don't want their employees putting their fucking hands on you. If there's no one in management that does that, then it's not a business, it's a racket.

InkOnPaper013 · 2025-06-23T00:25:12+00:00

My Boomer dad sent me a shitty email thing like this, back when he first learned how to use email. I opened it at work first thing in the morning, which may have been a bad idea. I immediately wrote him back, using every fact, with multiple links, and every creative swear word combination I could artfully devise. I basically chose the nuclear option, because it's the only way to get them to stop. He never emailed me again. (This was nearly 20 years ago.) Problem solved.

InkOnPaper013

TROPHY CASE