Here's another crazy idea from the demented laboratories at Northman Industries...
Flame hardening calks.
A little background, 2 monthes or so ago I changed out my calks, I only work part time, and lately I've been doing more wrenching then logging, the nails are allready getting to the point of replacement. Yeah I know I'm a fat ass and shouldn't be wearing them while driving equipment blah frickity blah. They should also last about 4 times longer then this.
So here's what the plan is so for, I've flame hardened 8 calks, and stuck them in the heel of my right boot, in the other boot, standard phillips tool steel calks (which I am now not impressed with) unhardened.
So yeah they change color a bit, and this brand tends to loose its pressed on flange, but just from today the right boot is still sharp where the center on the left is showing signs of wear.
As a side note I spark tested the Hoffmans, and Champs I had laying around compared to the phillips, no real difference, just the shape of the phillips, and the plating was better on the champs and hoffmans, conclusion is they are all tool steel, just not hardened or poorly hardened. Also the phillips do to there pointyness, tended to burn the end off before the rest got hot enough to quench.
I have some plans in the works to possibly make up about 500 calks and see if I can sucker some of you fine folks into trying them out at cost (which admittedly will be a little steep for a small order, hopfully under a buck a nail)
And finally ended up using the ole acetelyne wrench to do the hardening, propane torch just didn't have the grunt, and I'm too cheap to buy mapp gas
I'll try to keep this post updated as results come in...
Flame hardening calks.
A little background, 2 monthes or so ago I changed out my calks, I only work part time, and lately I've been doing more wrenching then logging, the nails are allready getting to the point of replacement. Yeah I know I'm a fat ass and shouldn't be wearing them while driving equipment blah frickity blah. They should also last about 4 times longer then this.
So here's what the plan is so for, I've flame hardened 8 calks, and stuck them in the heel of my right boot, in the other boot, standard phillips tool steel calks (which I am now not impressed with) unhardened.
So yeah they change color a bit, and this brand tends to loose its pressed on flange, but just from today the right boot is still sharp where the center on the left is showing signs of wear.
As a side note I spark tested the Hoffmans, and Champs I had laying around compared to the phillips, no real difference, just the shape of the phillips, and the plating was better on the champs and hoffmans, conclusion is they are all tool steel, just not hardened or poorly hardened. Also the phillips do to there pointyness, tended to burn the end off before the rest got hot enough to quench.
I have some plans in the works to possibly make up about 500 calks and see if I can sucker some of you fine folks into trying them out at cost (which admittedly will be a little steep for a small order, hopfully under a buck a nail)
And finally ended up using the ole acetelyne wrench to do the hardening, propane torch just didn't have the grunt, and I'm too cheap to buy mapp gas
I'll try to keep this post updated as results come in...