Hardening and tempering Cast Steel

[Three Hawks]

I have an itty bitty pouch ax, usually called a Ft. Meigs style 'cause there's a museum somewhere that has one found in the ruins of old Ft. Meigs.   Mine is a lost wax casting and is somewhat softer than a popcorn f*rt.   It is handier than a pocket in a shirt even though soft pine damages the edge if set too close by or spoken of too loudly.   I'd sure like to fix it so's it would hold an edge.    

Any suggestions?

Three Hawks

[Kermit]

Send it to Wally?  

Mebbe he can cut off the soft edge and forge weld on a hunk of old file or such. Or do his casehardening magic. Or something he's got up his sleeve and hasn't shared yet.

[Three Hawks]

That's a thought.  

This thing is supposedly cast of 4140 steel and should be hardenable.   Maybe after Thanksgiving, I'll buy some lump charcoal, the True Value here stocks it.   I'll just heat the thing to a nice mediumish red and quench it in a brine bath.   That should get it just a tad harder than a wh*re's heart.  Then  clean the scale and crud off with 120 emery cloth and draw the temper until the edge goes to a straw color and quench in cool water.

I was fooling around in my toy room and found my old copies of Weyger's blacksmithing books.  That's what he says to do to try to harden and temper steel of unknown pedigree.  If it works, you win, if it doesn't, you don't lose.   In any case, I'll be out a few bucks for some wonderful charcoal that I'll only use a little bit of.

I made, hardened and tempered a new mainspring for a cheap caplock one time and it worked.  I suppose I can try it with a cheap ax head.   If memory serves, I paid around $6.00 for it about 20 years ago.  I wish I could remember who I bought  it from.

Three Hawks

[cb]

I'd try oil first - 4140 is a chrome/moly steel and will harden very well for an axe with oil

If it is one of the Allan Foundry or Slazinski hawk heads than it is 4140 - here's the heatreating and tempering specs
http://www.diehlsteel.com/4140anld.aspx

It that doesn't do it than I'd try Super Quench rather than plain brine - read about it here http://www.anvilfire.com/FAQs/quenchants.htm

[flintlock62]

I see nothing wrong wit the hardnening suggestions, but it does need to be tempered afterwards.  Place it in a preheated oven at 500 deg. for five hours, let it air cool.  You need to remove the brittleness the hardening process imparted to the steel so the edge will not chip or crack when you use it.