No stupid questions Michael. He was using the plates to keep the blade straight. He was also using an air quenched steel, like 440C or 154CM. For our purposes they work well also. Just go ahead and quench the blade in oil. Leave in the oil for a count of eight to ten and then put the blade between the plates to straighten warps. Take out when just barely cool enough to handle and temper as usual.

Brion

There are three types of steel hardenability that we often encounter- water hardening, oil hardening and air hardening. Adding more of certain alloying elements will allow slower cooling while still achieving hardening, so simpler steel will need to be quenched faster, while very complex steels, like many stainless alloys, can actually harden by simply cooling in air.

Steels which can harden in air can certainly be hardened by plates which will be slightly faster, but steels that need a liquid quench will suffer to some degree by the slower cooling. There are some who are experimenting with plates on oil hardening or even water hardening steel, but I would not recommend it. We all have to choose our own level of what is “good enough” in a heat treatment, and for many skating a file is a good enough goal, I spend too much time looking at the inside of steel on the microscopic level to be satisfied with that and so for me plates could only work for me as a treatment after an actual quench, as Brion has described.

Thanks For The Quick Reply... I Understamd. I Will Stick With oil.

hey Mike;

Oil is good. Look at the use of the blocks; I have been using copper ones for years; as a means of straightening some long slender blades out of the oil quench as Brion described. Uncle Al is selling the al. ones now, lot of positive feedback on their use.

I didn't see your smilin' face at the hammer-in? Turning into a recluse?

Mike