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Unread 07-11-2016, 10:23 PM   #12
ithacaartist
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dnickels View Post

So, the oil does nothing to impart or affect the color in the end?
That's right. Quenching is important during initial hardening, to cool quickly when the steel is hot enough to be non-magnetic. Ever notice when grinding on a shiny piece of metal that when it gets really hot, the same gradient in the pic emanates from the cut? The color is not much more, if any, than one molecule thick!
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