Heating metal colour question (forge related)

[Celtic Dragon]

I'm going to have a bash at making a flint striker for use as a fire lighter aka strikerlite. The discription I have is heat to cherry red colour. I've had ago tonight and heated it o what my CDT teacher desgribed as bright tangerine. My question is what colour should I be looking for before quench, I'm using tool grade steel. Sorry its been 10 years sine I studied metrology.

Cheers
Simon

[Trond]

Simon, the cherrylike collour is the right one, If you use tool steel (0,7 - 1,2 % carbon) you might use a magnet, when the steel is no longer magnetic, go ahead and quench it, I prefer to cool it in soya oil heated to ca 60 degrees centigrade.

[PS_Bond]

Daithi has a page on colours & temperatures - http://www.knives.com/heatreat.html
(Obvious limitations on rendering colours, ambient light etc notwithstanding)

Using a magnet to check for non-magnetic is probably easiest.

Is this the lawnmower blade, Simon?

[Celtic Dragon]

Its a balde from a Bosch power carver that I knackered making my stock for my S10. Cheers Trond, I managed to do it this morning and looks very impresive now I just have to find a good piece of flint instread of using my axe head (flint circa stoneage).

Simon

[PS_Bond]

Sorry, power carver - not sure why I decided lawnmower. Old age setting in... :)

Congrats on getting it hardened. Old garage door springs also make pretty good steels, FYI.

[Trond]

You`re welcome Simon.
Do you have a pic. of it?

[Celtic Dragon]

Actually guys after trying it, I'm not overly convinced it works as well as it should. So I'm off to spark up the BBQ again and this time I'll make some lightweight char cloth to go with it. I'll post pics once I get it to the point I'm happy with it.

Simon

[Trond]

Simon, maybe there is not enough carbon in your steel?

[Celtic Dragon]

Probably not, but then when are things you find perfect!! but it does work alot better now!!! :D :D Pics to follow in an edit. Probably doesn't help a newbie trying to use char denim although it did teach me the correct technique. I have now put on a batch of light weight char cloth.

Simon

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/verminhunter/axe%20head%20and%20striker.jpg

The axe has to be the oldest thing on here!!!

[David Morgan]

Tai Goo mentioned on Don Fogg's forum that when he makes strikers he heats them to a higher temperature in order to encourage grain growth- (exactly the opposite of what you want in a knife), apparently it makes for bigger sparks which hold their heat longer.

[PS_Bond]

That's a useful tip, cheers David.

Make sure you grind off the decarb zone too - it won't spark for toffee.