Engraving Hardened Steel: Carbide Grades & Hardness Tests

What does "hardness" actually mean when you're engraving stainless steel? We break down the real engineering scales — Vickers, Rockwell, and Knoop — and why the Mohs scale won't help you pick a tool bit. Then we get into the practical side: how to test hardness without wrecking the piece you're working on, and how carbide grade, cobalt content, and geometry determine whether your engraving survives decades of handling. If you're engraving a stainless heirloom that needs to stay legible for forty years, this episode covers the metallurgy and tool selection that makes the difference between a clean mark and a ruined piece. Episode #890196 — open it directly at myweirdprompts.com/890196