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Old 03-26-2008, 09:35 AM
Tom Maringer's Avatar
Tom Maringer Tom Maringer is offline
Steel
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Springdale Arkansas
Posts: 48
Default Re: Engraving coining dies

Quote:
Originally Posted by vilts
But when you use oil or water hardening steels and you heat treat them after engraving, then how do you clean it up afterwards? Both water and oil hardening creates very messy surface...
Ah... good question. This is a key to the whole thing! You absolutely do need to scrupulously protect your hard work from the ravages of the furnace! I use a powdered heat-treating compound from Brownells. You heat the die to about 600 degrees or so (dark stray to purple) then sprinkle this powder all over the worked surface... indeed, all over the entire thing. The powder melts and runs and forms an airtight seal over the critical parts. Then you heat it up to the hardening temperature and when you quench it, the compound basically explodes off the surface, and you have a pristine and clean... but glassy hard die! The basic compound works for steels that harden up to 1650... i.e. oil and water hardening steels. For the air hardening steels you need to wrap them in stainless foil in the furnace... which is such a pain in the patoot that I avoid it like the plague.
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