46 



MODERN BLACKSMITHING 



have a drill that is hard like a diamond. For drilling 

 iron or steel the drill does not need to be so very hard, 

 but tough rather, because of the slow speed and thick 

 chips. Few smiths have been able to master the sim- 

 plest tempering, and they think if they could get a 

 complicated receipt they would be all right. We are 

 all more or less built that way. Anything we do not 



Fig. 6. 



understand we admire. Simple soft water and the 

 right heat is, in most cases, the only thing needed for 

 hardening. I had occasion to consult a doctor once 

 who was noted for his simple remedies. A lady got 

 some medicine and she wanted to know what it was so 

 she could get it when the doctor was not at home, but 

 he refused to reveal it to her. When the lady had left 

 the doctor told me the reason why. "This lady," said 

 the doctor, "does not believe in simple remedies which 

 she knows, but believes in those remedies she knows 

 nothing about." 1 think it is better for us to try to 



