Pry bar heat treat.

[lobo9er]

I have been trying to find my niche in edged tools and I think I found something I like to make in addition to knives, small pry tools. So far I have yet to heat treat anything and beyond that everything I have done is still pretty crude but I'm working on it. so what kind of heat treat/hardness should I be looking for if any at all for small pry tools that would fit on a key ring. The steel I am using is jeep leaf spring steel and a old lawn mower blades as of now. Down the road I think I am going to purchase some bar stock 1095 damascus steel off ebay now that I am getting some sorta technique down. As usual thanks in advance for any info.

 

[Sam1911]

Hey, that's a great plan. John and I have spoken about some similar things and the possibilities are pretty intreaguing.

Personally, I'd stick with something like 5160 -- a real spring steel -- rather than using a tool steel. And damascas? I've used a LOT of prybars and never once stopped to wish they were a little nicer looking!

As for the heat treatment? I'm really not sure. Pretty soft would be ok, and probably best, though obviously not annealed dead soft. I'm sure that info is out there on the 'web. I'll try to search on that later tonight.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

So, you're talking about offering an item to go on my key ring or knife lanyard to keep me from using my knives as pry bars or scrapers? Nice idea but wouldn't a proper Damascus want to de-laminate a bit under torque.

 

[JShirley]

5160 from New Jersey Steel Baron is fairly inexpensive. Only downside is that it's over .25" thick.

 

[lobo9er]

So far I'm reading "normalizing" is all I want to do.

I used to carry a mini paraframe and I just lost it. The frame was great little tool for opening paint cans and like lids. So I got on line and looked at a variety for sale but instead I got out the angle grinder and made a fairly simple small pry bar that fills the bill and rides on my key ring. Until the mini re-appears in a pocket or under the couch somewhere.

 

[hso]

wouldn't a proper Damascus want to de-laminate a bit under torque.

Not with proper descaling and proper forge welding.

 

[Zeke/PA]

In my working days I made a lot of similiar stuff from Oil-Hardening Drill rod, available in most machine shops and from suppliers.
The material is easily forged and "hardened by eye".