re-heat treating wad punches

[Pioneer2]

A buddy machined cheap Chinese punches for me in .410,28ga,20ga + 12ga to make overshot cards. The metal is soft should I heat them cherry red and quelch in water or veg oil?

[catnthehat]

When I made throwing 'hawks I always quenched in used motor oil as per what a well know knifesmith suggested.
These wete a two piece mild steel body with a piece of file for the bit, welded together.
I never had one break !
Cat

[elkhunter11]

I would use oil , not as brittle. I use a punch to cut wads myself, and the edges have chipped, pounding into a 2x4.

[NW Tradegunner]

Knowing the quality of any Chinese type tool is a crap-shoot. Try heating to a dull red and quench it in oil ( motor oil is fine). Then see if a file skids over it. If it doesn’t and just grabs there is no carbon content in the metal. You’ll have to introduce some carbon into it. Some type of case hardening compound such as Hard & Tough, Kasenite etc. is your best bet. Kind of like Shake & Bake. Heat up the punch to cherry red; dip in or spoon on the compound and apply heat for a couple minutes then quench in oil. Clean it up and do the file test. You may have to temper it down a little because the cutting edge being so thin that it may break or shatter. Using a propane torch; just lightly sweep the flame over near the cutting edge and watch for a colour change in the metal. It’ll start a yellowish colour, then to brown then to a bluish/purple, then quench immediately! DONE‼️

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by NW Tradegunner

Knowing the quality of any Chinese type tool is a crap-shoot. Try heating to a dull red and quench it in oil ( motor oil is fine). Then see if a file skids over it. If it doesn’t and just grabs there is no carbon content in the metal. You’ll have to introduce some carbon into it. Some type of case hardening compound such as Hard & Tough, Kasenite etc. is your best bet. Kind of like Shake & Bake. Heat up the punch to cherry red; dip in or spoon on the compound and apply heat for a couple minutes then quench in oil. Clean it up and do the file test. You may have to temper it down a little because the cutting edge being so thin that it may break or shatter. Using a propane torch; just lightly sweep the flame over near the cutting edge and watch for a colour change in the metal. It’ll start a yellowish colour, then to brown then to a bluish/purple, then quench immediately! DONE‼️

Jeepers, is Kasenite even available now?
Cat

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Jeepers, is Kasenite even available now?
Cat

Kasenit

https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=...d=&_dcat=41369


Canadian Source for Cherry Red which is another surface hardner
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_defau...container.html

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

I would use oil , not as brittle. I use a punch to cut wads myself, and the edges have chipped, pounding into a 2x4.

Slightly off topic but rather than lay your card stock on a board and try to punch through them, put you punch in a vice and lay you material over the punch and hit the material. Much easier to do

Or even better find someone with a laser cutter and have them cut you cards out . I had a lazer cutter and before I sold it I cut out hundreds of over shot cards in a matter of minutes

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

Slightly off topic but rather than lay your card stock on a board and try to punch through them, put you punch in a vice and lay you material over the punch and hit the material. Much easier to do

Or even better find someone with a laser cutter and have them cut you cards out . I had a lazer cutter and before I sold it I cut out hundreds of over shot cards in a matter of minutes

I fold a pizza box so I cut four cards at a time, and I get over 400 out of a box in about 10 minutes, so 10 pizza boxes is good for a year.