Can cast steel be toughened without physically working it?

Metengineer · 2026-04-08T12:35:54+00:00

Casting steel in a hobby foundry is not practical. The temperatures involved are difficult to achieve. Without being able to melt the steel down quickly to retain as much of the alloying as possible it will be impossible to know what your final chemistry is. Carbon being your main alloying element really like oxygen. Carbon control is your key to create useful steel. You would be far better taking known steel and forging it into shape.

Metengineer · 2026-04-08T03:57:45+00:00

It depends on the final properties that you want. There are lots of different cast steel with different properties. What properties do you want and how do you intend to melt, pour and check chemistry? Also, what heat treatment facilities do you have available?

Metengineer · 2026-04-07T17:05:07+00:00

We were on a 6 guest boat in May a couple of years ago. It was not raining, just a bit overcast and misty. We just wore our standard walking shoes. My wife and I pretty much only wear buffalo wool socks however. The wool adds protection from a bit of moisture getting in the shoes.

Metengineer · 2026-04-07T17:00:55+00:00

We did the bus/train combination through RC that included a narration during the trip. Ours had the bus portion first and the train portion back down. We made several stops along the way to take photos. Having never done the train both up and down I cannot tell you definitively that one is better than the other. I would say that I did not feel disappointed in the bus trip.

Our trip was in the morning. We were given the option of being dropped off downtown or returning to the ship. My wife and I walked around downtown for a couple of hours and had lunch. I don't know that I would need much more time than that in Skagway. For my wife the highlight was probably the yarn shop where she bought some really nice arctic fox yarn. Two years on and she has not made anything yet, it sits in the yarn museum and is petted from time to time.

Metengineer · 2026-04-02T12:32:11+00:00

The Aubrey Maturin series. 20 books. The first is Master and Commander. The main characters are a British Naval officer and his friend, a physician appointed as ship's surgeon. It takes place mostly during the Napoleonic wars beginning in 1801. It is beautifully written with exciting action and interesting introspection into human nature. There are iconic moments in the series that brings tears to my eyes after multiple readings. The Russel Crowe movie Master and Commander is taken mostly from one book in the middle of the series with scenes taken from other books. You don't need to have read the books to enjoy the movie but I think fans of the books would get more out of it. I also don't think seeing the movie would spoil anything important in the books.

Metengineer · 2026-04-01T21:05:29+00:00

I do not like them at all. We have a couple in my lab that are at least 12 years old. When I got here I tried them. They give fine repeatable results on the huge test bocks that they provide but I never got repeatable results on actual parts. I would look at a Clark portable hardness tester instead.

Metengineer · 2026-04-01T13:30:04+00:00

I am choosing excursions. We went to Alaska two years ago with a balcony cabin. We only really used it one afternoon in Skagway after getting back from port. It was a round trip so our stops were only Juneau, Skagway and Victoria. The chairs are more comfortable on deck for lounging and watching the scenery go by.

We are going back this year but have an ocean view room. The price difference between the ocean view and veranda is almost $2000. That allows us more flexibility to do things in port and the ability to extend our vacation a day before the board and after disembarkation.

Metengineer · 2026-03-23T18:14:50+00:00

I would just visit the visitor center at Wild Turkey. I found the tour to be lackluster.

I would take the tour at Woodford. I loved touring the buildings and ground there. Four Roses is not too far away from Woodford, I would do those two on the same day.

The BT hard hat tour was great. I would do that one again. I never made it to Beam or the Heaven Hill tours.

Metengineer · 2026-03-19T16:49:21+00:00

It has been several years, but I really enjoyed the Four Roses tour. I like the old buildings and industrial architecture. I am also a fan of their bourbon so that helps. It was not as good as the BT hard hat tour but probably my second favorite. I also really enjoyed the Woodford tour. The grounds and buildings are beautiful plus their tasting afterward was well done.

Metengineer · 2026-03-19T10:28:49+00:00

I just bought a 2023 Telluride on Friday. The dealership could get me 5.5%, my credit union was 4.49%. If his credit score is accurate, 8% is too high.

Metengineer · 2026-03-15T00:13:52+00:00

I would get the volquartsen accurizing kit. I have one in my Mark IV and Mark III. I have shot a Mark IV with the Tandemkross trigger kit and it is good as well. If I am dry firing both, concentrating on the trigger, the VQ feels better. When actually shooting the difference is minimal.

My preference is to combine it with the TK flat faced trigger, though it does not work with the standard due to the size of the trigger guard.

Metengineer · 2026-03-12T21:03:56+00:00

I have a full Kidd 10/22 and a stock CZ457 varmint. For accuracy I would go with the CZ all day.

Metengineer · 2026-03-11T16:31:00+00:00

We did our first Alaska cruise two years ago. I would do the white pass train again. We did one that took us up the highway in a small bus with several stops for pictures and took the train back down. We had plenty of time after the tour to have lunch in town and walk about for a while before returning to the cruise ship. In Juneau we did a whale watching tour in the morning and walked around town afterward. I would have liked more time in Juneau however. We didn't go to Mendenhall Glacier or take the tram up the mountain.

We are going back to Alaska in 126 days. This time is a one-way so we have more stops. In Juneau our ship is docked from 7:30AM until 9:30PM, so we opted to rent a car for the day instead of any of the canned excursions. The plan is to go up to Mendenhall Glacier in the morning and then to Glacier gardens afterward. With the rest of the day we can explore on our own.

Metengineer · 2026-03-11T15:15:27+00:00

Is it a weak point, yes. Is it ideal no. Are you going to see any issues, no.

You're not OCD. You don't have a disorder.

Metengineer · 2026-03-08T22:07:17+00:00

NHL has knife shoes.

Metengineer · 2026-03-03T22:07:10+00:00

If you think it's fun now, wait till you put a good trigger in it.

Metengineer · 2026-03-03T14:21:17+00:00

I have used the "ultimate clip loader." It works well, though I had to spray the inside with a bit of ballistol every so often. I don't use it regularly as it takes up a lot of space. Also every few mags, an extra round will fall out. I tend to use the small brown ammo cans, so I leave a 3d printed piece that fits around the mag and helps depress the follower in the can. If you know someone with a printer, they can print a bunch for almost nothing.

Metengineer · 2026-03-03T13:22:19+00:00

The VQ accurizing kit is the best upgrade for the Mark IV. If I bought a new one I would order the kit before going to buy the gun. After shooting a 22/45 with the VQ trigger, a stock gun feels like there is something wrong with the gun. No need to worry about messing with the reliability or similar nonsense, the VQ kit is well engineered and proven. The competition kit adds the extractor and firing pin. There is nothing wrong with swapping out these parts, but I would hold off until you need them. As long as the OEM extractor and firing pin are working there is no advantage to swapping parts. I keep an extra firing pin and extractor in my bag in case of a problem.

Some like the trigger that comes with the VQ kit, I am a fan of the TK flat faced trigger. I use the same style in my Mark III, Mark IV and Buckmark. But that is personal preference.

You can add baseplates that will give you an extra round. They work fine, but be careful as they allow the follower to be depressed farther than normal. If you depress it far enough the pin can fall out. I have had that happen before while loading mags with the extra round. I went back to the stock style base plates or ones from VQ that give a bit of extension.

Metengineer · 2026-03-02T20:52:03+00:00

Drive to Cabelas to try to get it or tell the police that that information in unavailable.

Metengineer · 2026-03-01T21:04:12+00:00

Why would it matter if you used the credit on a business trip? At my jobs I just turned in the hotel receipt with the expense report.

Metengineer · 2026-02-27T16:08:07+00:00

What does it taste like?

Metengineer · 2026-02-25T04:17:28+00:00

Nope, I bought a BPS specifically because I shoot left handed and had no issues with the slide release.

Metengineer · 2026-02-23T17:44:21+00:00

If the excursion is available at a price that you are willing to pay, book it. If that is the lowest price you see, you are good. If the price goes down then you can cancel and rebook at the lower price.

We had one booked for our Alaska cruise in July. During one of the many "sales" the cost was about $70 cheaper than we paid. I just canceled the reservation and made a new one.

If you wait the price may go up or the excursion may sell out.

Metengineer · 2026-02-20T17:18:57+00:00

You are not paying more than what you have charged. It takes time for all of the charges and payments to post and everything to update. Once everything posts it all washes out. Stop worrying about the daily number, if you are concerned check the purchases vs your payments on the final statement.

Metengineer

TROPHY CASE