One of the most valuable things I learned as a teen was how to soften steel so you can work it easily and reharden it again.

Torch and can fulla oil, there are plenty of places that tell you what color to heat to before quenching to realize a particular hardness range.

To soften, heat and let it cool real slow.

To harden, heat to the desired color for the target hardness and immediately quench in the can of room temperature motor oil.

Outdoors.


--Mac