Sure Ed, My wife needed something from Amazon.com that was $7.50 so I broused around and found 01 tool steel. Bought a 1/2" round X 36" for $8.50 and $4.50 shipping. Cut the rod into 12" and 9" pieces. Ground a skew tip on each. Bought some charcoal for $5.50. heated rod , one at a time till cherry red( turns unmagnetic, then soak a bit more). Quench in oil---I used 20W50 motor oil(4 qt $2.50 ea). Rod is now glass hard, a file won't cut it. Clean the rod back to shiney steel with sand paper. Take toaster oven to shop. Set to 450, insert one rod and heat until color changes to light straw. This took longer than I thought, maybe 1/2 hr. Remove and quench again. Rod should be 58-60 Rockwell C----about the temper of a good knife. You can just cut with a file.
Next go to lathe and make a tool handle. Install metal sleeve on top and drill to 1/2" dia, about 2.5" deep. Insert heat treated rod, sharpen and turn something.
Picture below shows new round tools and old square tool. Square tool is some 1018 3/8" stock with a 3/8" cobalt steel HSS metal lathe tip. Cobalt steel doesn't stay sharp. It's not a knife edge steel. Tool worked well as a beading tool and was easy to handle. The new round tools hopefully work better. Cost $14.25 ea. Wood store price is $35.
