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Spent an hour talking with old Harold at the guild meeting Saturday about hammer heat treatment
He told me he's been using the same 2 pound cross peen for 22 years because he temperes it at a consistent 425 degrees instead of the usual higher range. I always thought hotter was better for durability, but he showed me his hammer face and it barely had any chipping. Has anyone else experimented with lower tempering temps on their forging hammers?
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black.patricia22d ago
That's really interesting. I've always figured hotter meant tougher too, so hearing that lower temps can work better is a surprise. How long has he been doing that 425 degree temper on that hammer? It makes me wonder if we're all just overheating our tools for no reason.
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walker.alex18d ago
Respectfully, I gotta disagree a bit... 425 is on the low side for a hammer that's gonna take real abuse. Most guys I know running production forges run 450-475 on striking tools and they hold up fine.
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