Shoutout to the old timer who finally told me to just quench the punch in oil, not water, after I spent a week trying to stop mine from cracking.

What's your go-to trick for keeping small tool steel from going brittle?

2 comments

2 Comments

Got to disagree on the oil quench for small tool steel. Water's fine if you manage the heat right. I've made plenty of small punches and chisels from O1 steel. The trick is to only heat the very tip, not the whole thing. Dunk just that hot part in water, swirl it, pull it out before it goes cold, then let the leftover heat in the shank warm it back up. Do that a few times. It stops that hard, brittle line from forming. Oil can leave it too soft for my liking.

michaeladams2d ago

Always thought oil was safer, but that tip heating trick makes sense.