Subject: Re: railroad spikes - Austenitzing temperatures

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 14:39:38 -0400

To All,
Carbon steel goes non-magnetic at 1380*F or so up to about .6% carbon and the
temperature falls with increasing carbon to 1333*F at .8%.  If you heat until
it is just non-magnetic even for an .8% carbon steel you may not get complete
transformation. You surely don't at lower carbon contents. I have great
sucess with HC spikes at light orange and brine. 1045 can make a reasonable
edge. In reality, the potential hardness of carbon steel maxes out at about
.6% carbon anyway. Higher carvon contents increase hardenability but not
hardness.

Hochewa

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 7 Sep 1996 12:59:26 -0600

>.6% carbon anyway. Higher carvon contents increase hardenability but not

Hochewa,

Please explain futher your last statement that "higher carbon content
increases hardenability but not hardness".

Thank you,

Bob Schade