Heard a guy at the scrap yard say he never tempers his leaf springs

I was picking up some 5160 last week and this older smith was telling the yard guy he just quenches and goes, no draw at all. Said they 'self-temper' from the residual heat. I tried it on a small knife blank and it snapped like glass on the first bend test. What's the most stubborn bit of bad advice you've heard passed around like it's fact?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_flores24d ago

Used to believe that myself, heard it from an old timer years back. Tried it on a chopper and the edge just crumbled on some hard wood. That was the day I learned residual heat in thin stock is nowhere near enough for a proper draw. Some of this stuff gets passed down so much people forget to test it.

the_sandra24d ago

Yeah I read something similar in a forum post once, where a guy tested it with a temp stick. The edge stayed way too hard and chipped out just like you said. Makes you wonder how many people are still doing it wrong because they never checked.

rosed327d ago

People forget to test it" is so true. I was sure that old trick worked until I saw a blade chip the same way.