Wait, so your firebox thermometer was off by 50 degrees the whole time? That makes me wonder, how do you even check if a thermometer is accurate mid-cook without having another one handy? I've got three thermometers now, one stuck in the meat, one clipped to the grate, and even a cheap instant read I keep in my pocket just to spot-check the ambient temp. You think you'd notice a big gap but when you're rushing and it's hot out, it's easy to just trust the numbers.

Wait, did you at least get the headlamp thing sorted before you started? Nothing worse than wrestling with parts you can't see.

Honestly, water quenching is the way to go if you actually know what you're doing. Tbh, oil just masks bad technique and gives you a crutch instead of forcing you to dial in your heat treat right. Ngl, I've seen way too many people blame water for their problems when they're just rushing the soak or not controlling the grain structure. Oil might save you a few blades early on, but it'll never get you that true hardness and edge retention you want from carbon steel. Your buddy is right, oil is a beginner's bandaid.

Ever notice the bus gods always mess with you right when you gotta pee?

@the_logan right, 94 episodes of filler and I almost dropped the show.