Reply To: Crack in plane iron
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If you have access to anyone who uses a method of non-destructive testing called “magnetic particle testing” you could determine how far the crack goes through the length of the blade. Mag particle only involves spraying a very thin layer of white background lacquer onto the blade, and then placing the dipoles of a magnet so that one pole is on one side of the crack and the other is on the other side of the crack and then puffing on some magnetic particle dust onto the blade. That would tell you once and for all if the blade is worth trying to save. Dye penetrant is another technique that would also work but it looks like a pretty tight tool steel crack and you might need to increase the “dwell”time to let the penetrant soak into the crack. I would guess that if the crack runs for 10mm or more, I wouldn’t bother trying to save the blade – as it is probably quench cracked all the way through. You can sometimes get access to Liquid Penetrant at Automotive mechanics shops. Mag particle is the more reliable however.
Cheers, Mark H