The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1903-07-11
OREGON MANS DISCOVERY.
Art Of Tsmperlns steel Brought to
Linht.


Light.
An Oregon toolmakeF has Fediseoy-
cred the lost art of tempering steel.
and has astonished many beholdeFs
by the feats he performed in
his shop In the Suburban Coal a.
Ice eompany's yard at Fourth and EV.
erett streets. says a Portland paper.
His name is d. ]. casterline. and he
has just removed here from Corvallis.
where he has been working for some
time TO perfect his secret process.
BY what means Mr.. Casterline gives
steel the wonderful hardness and
tOughHess which makes his tools RI
val the famous Damascus blade with
which saladin cut In two a feather
cushion he had tossed In the air, he
alone knows. and he will not tell.
When the reporter called at his shop
he put three razors In an ordinary
forge. brought them TO red heat. then
opened box standing beside him. in
which was a small tank full OF liquid.
and dashed them into IL. After again
heating them. he dippet. them In wa
ter, then ground them. honed them on
N oilstone. and shaved some hair on
his wrist with them. One blade was
so thin at the edge that the heat euried
IL up like q shaving and he ground II
down by holding the edge Al right an
giles 10 the grihdst0ne. An ordinary
blade treated thus would have down
10 pieces. but he brought this 10 an
even edge. then ground II and honed H.
Then he showed what can be done
With steel tempered by his process.
lie has made Il drawing knife. and.
fastening nc penny steel spike in a
wise. with this tool he took a shaking
Of H. lie handed the knife To the re-
porter. who fell the edge and found
that il had mol been turned In the
slightest degree. in fact. 1t was i'm,
possible TO tell with which part Of the
blade the shaving had been made. To
further prove that the edge was not
affected. bee took the same knife and.
without having kharpened IL. shaved
SOME hair OF his arm with the great
,sS ease All over his arms and the
backs 81 his hands are bare spots
which he has shaved In testing his
toals
Then he took a pocketknife having a
blade empeTed BY himself and cut \
shaving from the nail with IL lie
drew IL three tinea across the nail,
@ith the edge al right angles. making
q distinct cut each time. and imme-
diagcly shaved = little bunch ~ hair
from his arm or hand with the same
blade lie repeated this test toug
times. making In all IS no,chcs in the
nail, but the knife shaved his hand as
easily the last an Tho frss time.
he nos undertakes Ia temper Any
ssnd % stool tools. bat Wiil not stoF
al that lie will undertake io make
such springs thst they pilt uevci
aswAk. and Will next apply his discoy
~sy 10 artHoF plate lie proposes &c
apply q, to a small picro 81 Arnol
plate and oaacafur 10 render u i'm
| puyVtoaa 60 shot and shell IL sue
cras,ai. aud be has no doubt, after the
success he has had with other things
/ DO sill Try II on a larger scale.
Thugr Ia only one secret IN the pro
cess and that is In the chemical In
which he dips tho steel after bringing
/ st Ia a red heat After that IL done
be again puts the sieol TO the ere and
draws II 20 tho hardness required 70,
aiaerunt kinds ~ work There arc
three II thosn degrees of hardness. oi
@hleh he iudEra by the cnlur ~ this
heated metal For this purpoeo good
Jish, IL needed. In order that he mas
/ Judge accurately ~ colnra.
In what manner Mr. Casterlinc will
apply hlH invention be has not yet de
termiuod. He has not patented his In
scntius and may no, do SO. Tor. II the
secret woge once known. the patent
would he % easily infriugcd as 20 be
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