Given that the tool is made from low carbon steel and probably won't
get very hard and that the problem is really with wear, I'd try case
hardening it instead. It's been many years since I've done this but
if I remember correctly, the process is something like heating the
piece to be hardened (just the tip of the key in this case) to a red
heat and plunging it into something like Kasenit which is a carbon
rich powder. What this does is to infuse the surface of the tool with
carbon which turns it into high carbon steel which will harden quite
nicely. In the old days they used to use things like horse hooves and
cow hides to supply the carbon. Must have stank pretty good. I'm not
sure if Kasenit is available at your modern hardware stores or not but
you can get it at www.mscindustrial.com.
BTW, If you're not familiar with MSC you should check them out. They'll
send you 4700 page catalog full of interesting industrial stuff just
for the asking.
Drew
> > Couldn't you just temper it? Heat, cold, heat & cold? Wouldn't that make
> > it harder?
>
> Depends on what it's made of, and how good you are at accurately judging say
> 500F from 600F. The temperatures required vary with the steel being
> tempered ...
>
> You would start by hardening it, which is usually heating to something on
> the order of 1300-1600F (again varies with carbon content and alloying
> metals), and then quenching it (quenching method also varies with alloy,
> with oil, water, sand, molten lead being some of the options).
>
> Randall
--
Drew Rogge
drew@pixar.com
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