What do “Temper” and “Tempering” mean?
In metallurgical terms, tempering (v. “to temper”) is a process in which a material is brought down from its maximum hardness, usually via heat treatments, in an attempt to balance strength with brittleness. In modern maille makers’ terms, temper simply refers to the hardness of your wire. This is usually expressed in terms like “Spring Temper”, “1/2 Hard Temper”, “Dead Soft Temper”, etc…
