07 Plane Iron Metal Type

by delsur777, Sunday, May 17, 2009, 16:59 @ lwllms

lwllms,

I believe your experience is definitely worth listening to. These wide, long, thin blades act as their own heat sinks and they make it extremely hard (if it's even possible) to keep an even heat with a mapp torch. I tried the method that I had suggested, which seemed to make it a little (very little) easier to even out the heat, but after quenching it...I still have soft metal.

This brings me to a new question. How was the quality control at the turn of the last century? It looks, for all the world, like I have a piece of cold rolled steel masquerading as a plane iron. I can easily believe that I screwed up the heat treat, but it should have at least been a little hard...most likely, too hard with cracking and razzing, but it isn't hard at all. It's also pretty clean after the quenching. I usually get a little "blacking" on the blade, but this one came out nice and clean...just oily. What's the possibilty that I have a low/no carbon blade?

If that is the case, that brings up another question. Who do you like as a supplier for replacement blades? ))

Thanks again,

delsur777