A split in my tongs made me rethink skipping tempering

I always figured if the steel was hard, tempering was just extra work, lol. But when my tongs cracked during a forge, I looked into it and started doing it. Now everything holds up way better.

3 comments

3 Comments

gavink951mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, "I always figured if the steel was hard, tempering was just extra work" is a mood. I mean, we've all been there trying to cut a corner. The universe just loves to teach that lesson by breaking your stuff at the worst time. Glad you figured it out before something more expensive than tongs gave up.

the_brooke1mo ago

That exact mindset cost me a good chisel last year. Watching it snap taught me real fast why that extra step matters. Hard lesson, but it sticks with you.

hugobarnes1mo ago

Yeah @gavink95, what was the project that finally made the tempering click for you?