With regard to the '03,,if it's low carbon steel to start with,,and they 'burned' it in the process (burned the carbon out of it),,,wouldn't the end result seem to be a soft, non hardened receiver when quenched? Not the brittle over hardened problem pointed to?
Again just trying to understand.
Probably the crystaline molecular structure of the steel actually breaking down. My metallurgy knowledge is sketchy at best but I know that there are several different crystaline forms that the steel assumes according to the carbon content and the temperature treatment. My smithing instructor said that a white sparkling heat would burn the steel so that it had no strength, and I found that statement to be true when I began to fab and temper my own chisels and punches.
But, in blacksmith forge-welding, the iron or steel is first heated to a white sparkling heat and then heated still further by the hammer's pounding. So what keeps the resulting wagon wheel tire or whatever from failing? Maybe the much lower load?
Regards, Joe
