That's interesting, Brice. I'm hoping soon to cut and machine some strips of O1 steel to make some tools and harden. A friend has a small electric kiln I could borrow but I plan to first try the two-brick kiln method, oil quenching and a toaster oven to temper, recommended by some instructions I've read. For starters I want to make some 1/8" thick scrapers and a tool to let me cut morse tapers more easily.
Have you ever tried to harden HSS steel with your equipment? Reading the experienced descriptions on a knifemaking forum scared me away. I was told one issue with rehardening a HSS gouge might be the need to know the specific composition of a given tool since different HSSs can require different processes. Is that right?
JKJ