Overheard a farrier say he doesn't touch a forge under 300 degrees and it clicked for me

I was at a hammer-in last Saturday up near Salem and this old farrier was talking to a couple guys about his preheat routine. He said if the steel hits the anvil below 300 degrees it's like trying to work cold taffy. I've been a hobby smith for about 3 years and I always rushed to start hammering as soon as the color looked right in low light. That one overheard comment made me actually grab a temp gun and check my own work. Turns out I was starting at maybe 200 degrees and wondering why my leaf hooks were cracking at the bends. Now I wait until the infrared reader hits at least 325 before I pull it from the fire. Has anyone else found a specific temp that made their projects come out better?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenix_adams603d agoOG Member

That 300 degree rule sounds like overthinking it, I've hammered fine at much lower temps.

lucasking3d ago

Well, you're not wrong about that @phoenix_adams60, I've seen guys do good work at 250 degrees with the right steel. But I remember this one time a buddy tried forging a knife at 200 degrees and the blade cracked right in half on the anvil. So maybe the 300 rule is just a safe starting point for people who aren't sure about their material.