Hardening, Tempering and Heat Treatment (Workshop Practice Series) Paperback – 31 Dec. 1998

Tis a good book if you are into this sort of thing and not so good if its spoon collecting you are into !

To the normal high standard of the Workshop Practice series.This is a must for anyone starting out and should also be on everyones shelf for reference, unless you can remember everything!Covers every aspect of the topic in an easy to understand style, that is typical of this great master.Having been involved with engineering for 40 years I found that after reading the chapter on Tempering there was a method so easy I can't understad why it's not common practice. Has worked for me with 100% success. In fact there's something to learn in every chapter.Recommended without condition.

A surprisingly thorough and engaging read given the subject! The book covers techniques of quenching and tempering with a lot of time spent initially explaining what happens with the metal as its heated and cooled.

Very much an old school type book that may only have been written in the mid 80's but is more reminiscent of a book from the 1920's. In some respects this just shows how much has changed over the last 25 years when a book written in the 80's has more in common with a book from the 20's. Today you expect to get high-res photo's and CAD drawings at the very least not grainy hand drawn black and white images and low-res photographs that only just help illustrate a point.But - it's not necessarily a bad thing. Firstly there is the nostalgia thing going on for people of my age and older. I can connect with a book like this from my days as an engineering cadet in the early 1980's. Putting that aside most of all the author does not treat you like a gibbering moron with an attention span of that of a goldfish. To a younger person this book may feel overly wordy and maybe a bit heavy but I like the fact the author takes a somewhat pontificating stance and covers everything comprehensively. The author Tubal Cain - no idea where that name comes from but he knows his stuff - treats you like a reasoning thinking adult which is rather refreshing given the force fed sound-bites that seem to be associated with 'knowledge' today.So, if you want to understand properly heat treating etc. to a pretty good level of depth then this is an excellent book.

I would say an essential purchase for someone new to heat treating steel like myself. Extremely informative and clearly written. Not always easy subject matter but explained in a manner that is not too technical and using useful analogies to help understanding. Dated in some respects and I'm not sure how much use the colour temperature pictures are but I overall I wouldn't hesitate in recommending this book. Generally well regarded amongst the knife makers I know.

Very good book, multitudes of useful tips. 100% worth the money it's for. If you want to learn about the processes, go with this.This book is the complete opposite of Knifemaking For Beginners: Top-10 Knifemaking Tools For Beginners And Detailed Guide To Making Your First Knife: (Blacksmithing, How To Blacksmith, ... Making) (Knife Making And Blacksmithing) , which was an absolutely s***source of information. If you want a good book to learn about bladesmithing processes, This one I cannot recommend highly enough.

Great resource as are all the books of this collection, shame they cost so much for a small book.

Although aimed at an audience of amature people in their garages with limited resources, this book gives you all the necessary information for anyone to use plain carbon steels to their full.Emphasis is on understanding the hardening and tempering process along with precise colour charts. The author has taken such great care to provide the reader with such colour temperature swatches that anyone should be able to produce a spring or two on a gas stove.