sorta OT: temper for chisels?

[markmarkmark]

i'm making some masonry chisels - actually, chisels that will be used for carving/chipping stone...i have no idea what temper to give them, except that it should be relatively hard....i believe that rock hammers (hammers used to strike rock directly) are tempered harder than nail or forging hammers, but i don't know how much...anyone have any idea? looking for temperature or color recommendations...needn't be exact...you know - bronze, purple, etc.

i'll be using a simple spring steel, like 1095 or 5160...just trying to get into the ballpark as these will be for my own personal use...

thanks.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

if you want exact,use a good thermometer and an oven for the temper- Colors won't be that accurate. To find out what the pros temper to, check out some commercial tools and inquire about the Rc hardness.I would think some other steels would be better for this project than 1095 or 5160.Try S5.
Here is a good chart for selecting steel types for jobs
http://www.pvsteel.com/docs/Tsb-093.pdf
Stacy