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Heating a piece of 1/4 inch stock in my forge last week, I almost ruined it.
I was trying to draw out a taper and kept getting cold shuts, even though the color looked right. On a whim, I let it soak for a full minute longer than I normally would, and the difference was night and day. The metal moved like butter and the taper came out clean with no cracks. I think my old habit of pulling it out as soon as it hit orange was leaving the core too cold. Has anyone else found they need way more soak time than they thought?
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gavink957mo ago
Yeah, soak time is everything with thicker stock. I learned that the hard way too. Orange on the outside can still be black inside, especially with 1/4 inch. Letting it sit until the heat soaks all the way through makes it workable instead of just tearing.
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bethdavis7mo ago
But what if you're working with something like high carbon steel? I've found that soaking too long can really mess with the grain structure. For thinner pieces, you can actually get away with a shorter soak if you manage the heat right. It's more about watching the color change evenly than just waiting a set time.
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holly3326mo ago
Interesting point, but my experience has been different. For me, it's less about soak time and more about heat control in the fire itself. @gavink95 mentioned orange outside and black inside, but if your fire isn't set right, extra soaking just scales up the metal. Getting a good even heat from the start beats just leaving it in longer. A minute can overheat the outside while you're waiting for the core, especially in a small forge.
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