What heat treating with a magnet actually tells you
Heat treating with a magnet works because austenite is not magnetic, not because of the Curie point. Here is what that changes and where it fails.
September 7, 2026 · 13 min read
Topic
Steel and metallurgy
Which steel, and why. Plain-language reference on the steels a home smith actually forges, with the heat-treat basics and where the numbers come from.
What mystery steel actually is, and how I test it
Mystery steel is any bar you cannot name. What a spark test can and cannot tell you, plus the coupon workflow I use to find out if scrap actually hardens.
September 7, 2026 · 13 min read
What 15N20 steel actually is, and why I keep it on the rack
15N20 steel is a nickel band saw steel that stays bright in an etch. What it is, how it forge welds to 1084, and how I heat treat it thin without warping it.
August 19, 2026 · 14 min read
What 80CrV2 steel actually is, and when I reach for it
80CrV2 steel is a tough low alloy carbon steel with a little chromium and vanadium. What it does well, how I heat treat it in a home shop, and when I skip it.
August 19, 2026 · 17 min read
What AEB-L steel actually is, and who should be buying it
AEB-L steel is a lean stainless with very low carbide volume. What it is, how it heat treats in a home shop, and when I would reach for it instead.
August 19, 2026 · 14 min read
MagnaCut steel, explained from the forge floor
What MagnaCut steel actually is, why its carbide design works, how it has to be heat treated, and when it is the wrong steel for your shop.
August 19, 2026 · 15 min read
What normalizing steel actually takes, and why the schedules disagree
The two most cited normalizing steel schedules disagree on cycles and temperature. What each one says, who published it, and how I run it in my shop.
August 19, 2026 · 14 min read
What Parks 50 quench oil actually does, and when I use it
Parks 50 quench oil is a fast oil for shallow hardening steels like 1084 and 1095. Here is what it does, how I run a tank, and where it does not help.
August 19, 2026 · 15 min read
Pattern welded steel, and whether it is actually better steel
What pattern welded steel is, what the toughness and edge retention testing actually found, and how I read a layer count claim before I pay for it.
August 19, 2026 · 14 min read
S7 tool steel, the bar I make punches and hot cuts from
S7 tool steel is the shock resisting bar I use for punches, hot cuts and dies. What is in it, how to forge it, how to heat treat it, and when to skip it.
August 19, 2026 · 15 min read
Wrought iron vs steel, and how to actually tell them apart
Wrought iron vs steel, sorted on the bar in front of you: why the nick and snap test fails, what woodgrain and etching show, and where cast iron fits.
August 19, 2026 · 16 min read
Heat treating steel, explained from the forge floor
A plain, owner to owner guide to heat treating steel: what the heat does to the grain, and how a home smith anneals, hardens, quenches, and tempers safely.
August 17, 2026 · 12 min read
Heated stainless steel, explained from the forge floor
What heated stainless steel really does: heat tint colors, sensitization, which grades harden and which never will, and why the forge is so unforgiving.
August 13, 2026 · 13 min read
The hardening of stainless steel, explained from the forge floor
A plain, owner-to-owner reference on the hardening of stainless steel: which grades harden, how austenitizing, quench, cold treatment, and tempering really work.
August 4, 2026 · 11 min read
Heat treating A2 tool steel, from the forge floor
How heat treating A2 tool steel really works: the air-hardening cycle, the soak, cold treatment, double tempering, and why it wants a controlled oven.
August 4, 2026 · 13 min read
Heated steel, explained from the forge floor
What heated steel actually is: reading the glow colors, the critical temperature, forging and hardening heats, scale, burning, and how to work hot steel safely.
August 4, 2026 · 12 min read
What AMS 2759/3 really is, from a smith who will never run it
AMS 2759/3 is the aerospace spec for heat treating precipitation-hardening stainless and maraging steel. What it covers, the H conditions, and why it matters.
August 3, 2026 · 12 min read
How I heat treat 4140, from the forge floor
A plain, owner-to-owner reference on 4140 heat treat: what the steel is, how to normalize, anneal, harden in oil, and temper it for tough shop tools.
July 30, 2026 · 13 min read
What commercial steel heat treating actually does for a smith
A plain owner-to-owner guide to erie steel treating and commercial heat treat: what a commercial furnace does, when to send steel out, and what you still control.
July 30, 2026 · 11 min read
How to heat treat stainless, honestly, from a home shop
A plain reference on how to heat treat stainless steel: why a forge and magnet fail, what an oven and cryo actually do, and when to send blades out.
July 30, 2026 · 12 min read
Heat treating stainless steel, explained from the forge floor
What heat treating stainless steel actually takes: high soak temperatures, foil wrap, plate quenching, cryo, and why most home smiths send it out.
July 30, 2026 · 11 min read
How to temper steel by heating and cooling, explained plainly
How to temper steel by heating and cooling: the two heats, why hardened steel is brittle, reading temper colors, and where the real numbers live.
July 30, 2026 · 11 min read
Heat treatment of metals, explained from the forge floor
A working smith's plain guide to heat treatment of metals: hardening, tempering, annealing, normalizing, reading heat with a magnet, and where to send the hard questions.
July 27, 2026 · 11 min read
What annealing steel actually does, and how I do it
Annealing steel means heating past critical and cooling as slowly as you can. Here is what that does inside the metal, the temperatures involved, and how I do it at home.
July 25, 2026 · 15 min read
Tempering of metal, explained from the forge floor
What the tempering of metal actually does to hardened steel, how temperature and time change hardness and toughness, and how I temper in a home shop.
July 22, 2026 · 14 min read