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Temper: Knife Heat Treat — Support

Need help?

Email roman.kopaliani@gmail.com with your question. Please include:

Common questions

What's the difference between the free tier and Temper Unlock?

Three starter steels — 1084, 80CrV2, AEB-L — are free permanently with full Knife Steel Nerds citations, named failure-mode warnings, quench-medium guidance, and hardness conversions. You can heat-treat a 1084 blade end-to-end on the free tier. Temper Unlock ($6.99, one-time) adds the other 17 steel schedules, the per-steel saved profile, and the multi-session log. The unlock is for breadth, not depth.

Which 20 steels are in v1?

Simple carbon: 1084, 80CrV2, 1095, 8670, 15N20. Spring and tool: 52100, 5160, O1, A2, D2. Stainless: AEB-L, 14C28N, CPM-154, S35VN, S45VN. PM super-steels: M390, CPM-3V, CPM MagnaCut, MagnaMax, ApexUltra. Each schedule cites a Knife Steel Nerds article by Larrin Thomas or a steel-manufacturer datasheet, with a direct link.

I already bought Temper Unlock on another device. How do I restore?

On the new device, open Settings → Restore Purchase. Your unlock will be restored from the App Store account that originally purchased.

Where do the schedules come from?

Every schedule cites a primary source — a Knife Steel Nerds article by metallurgist Larrin Thomas (knifesteelnerds.com) or a steel-manufacturer datasheet (Bohler-Uddeholm, Crucible Industries, NJ Steel Baron). The schedule line in the app links directly to the article it came from. Each entry also carries a source-version stamp showing when that article was last updated. Verify on the cited page before heat-treating.

The schedule warns me about my austenitize temperature. Why?

Six named failure-mode warnings are surfaced inline when they apply: 5160 grain growth past 1525°F, undersoaking, quench-to-cryo delay, retained austenite from over-austenitizing, one second past nonmagnetic in simple carbons, and wrong quench medium for stainless. Each warning cites the specific Larrin Thomas article it came from so you can read the underlying reasoning.

My quench medium is being blocked.

Some combinations are hard interlocks because the metallurgical failure is well-documented: never water-quench plain carbon (cracks), never oil-quench stainless or PM (retained austenite, soft blade). The blocked-medium message cites the source. If you have a primary source that contradicts the interlock, send it in and we'll review.

Can I add my own custom steel or schedule?

Not in v1. Custom schedules (with "untested by Knife Steel Nerds" labeling) are on the v1.1 candidate list. The v1 discipline is named-source-only schedules — the wedge is the citation, not the calculator.

Does it work in a forge instead of a kiln?

Forge-treated blades (coal, propane, "non-magnetic + soak") cannot be schedule-cited because temperature control is approximate. Temper surfaces this caveat when you log a session without an oven temperature. For fine-grained steels (AEB-L, M390, CPM MagnaCut), Larrin Thomas explicitly warns against forge heat-treatment.

Does the app work offline?

Yes — Temper never makes general network requests. The exceptions are Apple's StoreKit (to fetch the unlock price and restore purchases) and outbound links you tap (which open the cited article in Safari). The schedules, warnings, and hardness conversions are all local.

How do I delete my data?

Delete the app from your iPhone or iPad. All local data (saved profiles, session log entries) is removed along with it.

Disclaimer

Temper presents Knife Steel Nerds and steel-manufacturer guidance for educational purposes. Verify schedules against current Knife Steel Nerds articles and your steel supplier's spec sheet before heat-treating. Wrong heat-treat schedules destroy expensive steel and produce blades that chip, bend, or shatter — when in doubt, consult the cited primary source.