I bent my wood grenade

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

After many years of service, I pounded a bend into my wood grenade after I got it stuck in a cantankerous knot. Rendered the sucker unusable.

I've contemplated ways of straightening it out, the only practical way seems to be to heat it up in a makeshift forge and pound it straight. But I'm concerned about what I'd do to the temper. Only thing more useless than a bent wood grenade is a busted wood grenade.

It's a family heirloom, so I'm keeping it. Currently, it's an overly heavy paperweight with a good back story. I'd prefer to return it to glorious service.

Any suggestions on how to straighten it out and keep the correct temper?

 

[DodgyNomad]

No idea, but I'd be interested in seeing pictures of said bent tool.

Also, how do you like using the wood grenade? I never thought they were a very efficient tool, too much fussing with them, and always took me longer than using a maul, etc..

 

[StihlKicking]

Are wedges tempered in the first place?


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[Easy Livin’ 3000]

No idea, but I'd be interested in seeing pictures of said bent tool.

Also, how do you like using the wood grenade? I never thought they were a very efficient tool, too much fussing with them, and always took me longer than using a maul, etc..

Well, it isn't my first choice among wedges, but it was a good tool to have in the toolbox. There are always some peices of wood that resist the setting of a wide wedge, and the small point sticks better. I'll post a picture if I remember. It's not a dramatic bend, just enough to make it useless.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Are wedges tempered in the first place?


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Good question, and if not, how do I avoid putting one on if I heat it to red hot?

 

[Jags]

Most of those that I have seen are cast (poured) steel (as opposed to cast iron). I can’t be sure without knowing the whole process, but a swag would have me guessing that it is not tempered. Most items that are designed to be hit with a tempered tool (like a hammer) don’t want tempered steel against temper steel. Its the reason that a chisel has the cutting end tempered but the striking end is not. If all of this holds true, the best way to keep the temper out of it is a slow cool down.
On a couple of particular items I have made a makeshift “oven” for the cool down process by stacking firebricks into a box with the item inside trying to slow the cool down process.

P.s. - another thought just hit me. Drop that thing in a bed of coals in your stove and let the fire die out....(after it has been straightened)???? Not very scientific, but might help some...

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Most of those that I have seen are cast (poured) steel (as opposed to cast iron). I can’t be sure without knowing the whole process, but a swag would have me guessing that it is not tempered. Most items that are designed to be hit with a tempered tool (like a hammer) don’t want tempered steel against temper steel. Its the reason that a chisel has the cutting end tempered but the striking end is not. If all of this holds true, the best way to keep the temper out of it is a slow cool down.
On a couple of particular items I have made a makeshift “oven” for the cool down process by stacking firebricks into a box with the item inside trying to slow the cool down process.

P.s. - another thought just hit me. Drop that thing in a bed of coals in your stove and let the fire die out....(after it has been straightened)???? Not very scientific, but might help some...

That's good info and a good idea about the cool down. I think I'll try just leaving it in the fire pit as it burns down.

 

[BenTN]

I doubt there is hardly enough carbon in that steel to call it mild. Meaning no matter how hard you tried to harden it, it just would take. If you have means to heat and shape it(coal forge, anvil, large hammers), go for it.

 

[UAmember]

I doubt it is any sort of cast iron, cast iron cannot withstand much shock load before breaking. But if you hit it with a grinder you can tell by the sparks it throws if it is cast iron or not. Cast throws reddish orange sparks, while steel is a much lighter orange, nearly a white color. Tempering and hardening are two different things that I believe are being confused here. Heat treating introduces hardness, while tempering removes it after heat treating to reduce brittleness.

 

[Ashful]

I doubt it is any sort of cast iron, cast iron cannot withstand much shock load before breaking. But if you hit it with a grinder you can tell by the sparks it throws if it is cast iron or not. Cast throws reddish orange sparks, while steel is a much lighter orange, nearly a white color. Tempering and hardening are two different things that I believe are being confused here. Heat treating introduces hardness, while tempering removes it after heat treating to reduce brittleness.

This. Tempering is not hardening. It is a process that is usually employed AFTER hardening, to bring back some of the ductility, reduce brittleness.

 

[Jags]

Yep - and rereading my post above I can see that I incorrectly was using the terms interchangably. They are not.

(In my defense, that was the eve of my one year anniversary of retirement. Beer was involved.)

 

[UAmember]

Yep - and rereading my post above I can see that I incorrectly was using the terms interchangably. They are not.

(In my defense, that was the eve of my one year anniversary of retirement. Beer was involved.)

COCKTAILS!!