I used to hammer everything at a bright orange heat. Now I wait for a dull red.

Rose Hart · 2026-04-18T17:45:07.457743+00:00

For my first five years, I'd pull steel from the forge the second it glowed bright, thinking I had more working time. I'd end up with a ton of scale and weak spots from burning the carbon out. About two years ago, I watched an old smith in Kentucky work a leaf spring at a much lower temp, and the metal just moved better. I started letting my high carbon pieces cool to a dull cherry, around 1400F, before hitting them. The difference in grain structure is night and day, and I waste way less material. Anyone else make that switch and see better results on tool edges?

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I used to hammer everything at a bright orange heat. Now I wait for a dull red. | Blacksmiths - HW Forums