we can let it drift into the hardening of steel.
Thats an interesting topic.

It gives me shivers, when I see how "swordsmen" in movies mistreat their swords. They are likely to put the tip into flames and they always sort of stick the sword into the ground.
How stupid is that?

No wonder that they have to sit and sharpen it for several days before they go to war.

the most advanced hardening I have ever seen was the "Cow horn" hardening.
I wont explain, it would take 100 pages of science.

Can be replaced by pumpkins. And easy.
The pumpkin hardening of steel:

You take your ret hot glowing sword or something.
ANd chop it into a pumpkin.
There are fumes, they are steaming.

When the fumes begin to not smell of steam, but of burned pumpkin.
Then you have hardened your sword, and if the pumpkin is long enough everything is fine.
It is now you take the metal out of the pumpkin and throw it into the swimmingpool.
To test it, if it worked. You just bend it and hit it with some hardened steel, like a fancy "japanees knife". You can hear from the sound if its well tempered and clean. You can also hear how hard it is.
If you doubt what I am saying, you can go and play with the knives in your kitchen. They will produce the correct sounds, and if you remember the price, You can correlate price, sound and hardness.

many knives are not tempered, they cheat. And you can easily hear it.

What is that?

usually, over here, we test hardness by the sparks a piece of metal produces.

Like, red sparks of the second order is high carbon steel.
are they yelow, then molybdane is involved.

1st week down and I am only up to my knees in homework. This friday night class has 2 assignments due by sunday night  on the inter-college online system. Guess I better get to hopping on this stuff if I want some free time this weekend.

I am liking it so far and the Instructors seem to be cool and helpful for everyone. 

One week down, 15 more to go for the semester.