Meanwhile, I'd been monkeying around with a hardsurfacing rod made by U.S. FORGE, designated, cryptically enough, "WEAR".  These electrodes were purchased at a local Menard's for about $1 each.  I had originally intended to use them to dress the edge of a large masonry bit, a purpose for which they proved highly unsuitable.  The electrodes appeared to be a very low carbon (almost no spark plume) alloy which is a devil to grind.  I don't  even know why I decided to try it, but I hardsurfaced the edge of a hot chisel in the hope that whatever exotic metallurgy made up these rods might be really red-hard.

            In general the performance of the tools hardsurfaced with these electrodes far exceeded my most optimistic expectations.  The electrode itself performed as well as the H11, in terms of edge holding under heat and stress, the level of oxidation was extremely low, coming out of the hot stock at a bright orange and cooling to a relatively bright silver, and demonstrated a tenacious grip to the spring stock while working at a full orange under a 16lb sledge.  And if that isn't enough, when I mustered the hutspa to plop the tool into the slack tub at a full orange--it didn't even explode (at least not yet)!