Heat treat help?

[MrEd]

Hello all,

Not sure where to put this as it’s not really bushcraft related?

Can anyone heat treat (harden and temper) some o1 tool steel for me? Preferably in the south east although I could post I guess.

300mm long by 40mm wide, and 2mm thick.
It’s for a replacement mower blade I have made for a 1930 vintage cylinder mower…..

It’s all drilled and ground.

Or can anyone suggest how I can do a heat treat myself with no specialist tools? I have a bbq, wood burner, fire pit, and a propane burner but that’s it

Thanks
Ed

 

[Broch]

Do you know what hardness is recommended for the blades? TBH lawnmower blades are not usually hard; they are required to hit stones without chunks flying off - they usually dent or bend rather than chip and snap. If you still have an old one try filing it to see how hard it is.

 

[MrEd]

Do you know what hardness is recommended for the blades? TBH lawnmower blades are not usually hard; they are required to hit stones without chunks flying off - they usually dent or bend rather than chip and snap. If you still have an old one try filing it to see how hard it is.

Hi broch. Yes, I think hardness would be 50 or less, the old blade I can’t drill with a normal HSS drill bit, it just makes small mark. Will try a file!

Edit: quick google tells me 38-42 hardness - I definitely won’t be able to temper down to that hardness at home.