:
: I just checked out the link. ..................

: I did find a MAJOR error in the instructions on how to make an
: Indian type crooked knife.

: " (1) Anneal the file to soften the steel so that it can be
: worked. This is done by heating it to a cherry red color (about
: 1250 degrees F) and quenching it in water. A propane torch will
: generate enough heat."

: This is absolutely wrong! It will harden (or reharden) the steel.
: You anneal steel by heating and very slow cooling. Bury in sand or
: ashes or Vermiculite.

: The other heat treating steps listed after shaping are correct but
: what the author calls" tempering" in step 3 should be
: called "hardening". What the author calls "heat
: treating" is step 4 obviously is "heat treating"
: but more specifically it is "tempering".

: Anneal-Harden-Temper if you start with a file. Harden & Temper
: if you start with soft steel.

Ivan is absolutely correct.

For anybody interested in metalworking or home-made tools, the books by Alexander Weygers ("The Making of Tools", "The Modern Blacksmith") are invaluable. If you have a decent public library, you should be able to find them. Used copies are available fairly cheaply via Abebooks .

Put that old hibachi to use for annealing steel!