Topic: Vice jaws = project

[Richmond]

Vice jaws  Temper

Hi ...I have stated to make jaws for some vices i am rebuilding... making them from some old files I have Annealed {heated them to red hot}then put them in lime to cool slowly--- Then cut drilled and fitted to the Vice.... I need to know what the best way and or Temperature to temper them at

 Heat until cherry red and then quench in oil, at this stage its so brittle it would break, so temper it back, polish at least part of it (to judge colour) and heat until blue, quench.{ from  lemin thanks}

  If you have the means to measure temperature, if you do temper back at 400C.

 ITs the tempering  temperature that gives it its toughness or its brittleness--- Different steel types achave this better than others ---

Brittleness is a side efect of hardness---

Also some one said that this can be done in some type of--- mud or clay -----
-----Dos any one know about this technique?---- IF so i would love to know about it -----


 

[piersdad]

heat till white hot  and keep there for 30 seconds at least.
be aware that they may bend or distort  if too hot.
this dissolves all the carbon and when quenched quickly  it will be extremely hard

don't drop it or try to shape it.

the next thing is to reheat it slowly till the color is a straw brown color and then re quench it.
this will be the hardness for typical cold chisels.
i would recommend a little softer for vice jaws so  wait till the straw color goes and the blue color appears and then quench it in water .