Thread: blade temper gone?

This was a freebie from a barber. If the temper is compromised is there any telltale clues I would come across during honing?
or should I just call it a wrap?

some others will probably jump in on this one too, but I just wanted to say that I have a carbon steel knife that has a very blue looking patina, like its been heated and lost temper, but it has not. as far as I know, if the temper is all the way gone, it should sharpen very quickly as the soft steel wears, but it may only be just the very outside of the steel, personally, I'd give it a shot and see what happens if I had the time.

My understanding is this. if temper lost you will not be able to put it a razor edge to that blade. try to hone it up. See what happens.hope this helps

thanks guys.

i'll give a spin on the stones today.

The "colors" look right for it to still be hard. They could be nothing more than superficial oxides from exposure to cutting something. It's like using a carbon steel knife to cut fruit or steak, the colors result from a surface chemical reaction.

If it was a temper problem, I wouldn't expect to see the shiny stuff under the color layers. As has been said, the true test is to see how it hones. If the hardness is gone, it will be like sharpening tin foil, the edge will abrade very easily.

I got an old Joe Rogers with color like that and it is fine. I think it was a case of the razor being left with lather on it for too long (not by me) and the stuff kind of etched the surface of the blade.