Well
I thought there could only be two reasons Jason would say he aligned his quench, and chose the one I reckoned was more flattering. I do hope he was joking!
There are so many things that affect the quality of a blade that to worry about the microscopically small difference that magnetic alignment might or might not make is silly. I would bet money that no one using a simple forge could possibly be consistent enough to tell one way or the other if such a thing made a difference. Exact temperature and time above critical, how fine the pre-quench grain was, the temperature of the quench oil, and the variability in steel, even of the same type from the same manufacturer, will all make so much more of a difference.
There is far more mileage in holding that a triple quench is better than a soak and single quench, or that a home freezer will promote martensite conversion. You can really get a debate going with those. :swordfigh
Has anyone with a forge tried to hold a piece of high carbon a bit below critical long enough for carbides to segregate out? I have heard that it can be done and that this is what
http://www.angelsword.com/techno_wootz_steel.php is, I think. If the starting steel doesn't have enough carbon you end up with something that won't harden, but is very abrasion resistant, it will skate a file, but the edge with roll easily. I would like to try, but I probably can't keep the steel hot enough for long enough.
