Hello Ed,
Sorry for my probing - just trying to document observations as much as possible for further research.
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My "instantaneous" image of the smith putting the blade in the water tray is an over 30 year old memory. As a "visual thinker" I am confident of what I saw, but the "frames" before and after didn't register, but I just assumed he was doing a part of a heat treat process.
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Sure, dipping the blade into the water is the crucial quenching step.
Any tempering step (heating the blade back to low heat - exact temperature and duration are critical and specific for each steel.
I was just wondering about the step before the water quench which you described as "an experienced blade maker apparently air quenching a blade" - just in case you may remember anything on this. No worries if not, I realize it was a long time ago.
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Not all the swords the group of smiths there were "bendy" and I assumed that the bendy ones were the result an unplanned result of the combination the parent steel and the quench and temper.
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Yes, quite possibly.
Did you get the impression that this was in general more of a hit or miss thing or did certain makers obtain more consistent results than others?
Regards,
Kai