DID NUCLEAR TESTING RUIN MODERN TOOL STEEL?
Did nuclear testing really ruin modern woodworking tools? Despite a persistent internet myth, science and metallurgy show that modern tool steel is not only unaffected by atomic fallout—but is better than ever.
I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve heard people claim a nuclear bomb ruined their woodworking tools.
Take this recent video, for example. It taught a fascinating lesson in the history of steelmaking and how modern tools are actually better—despite what many people claim about the quality of 100-year-old chisels, planes, and knives.
But, as always occurs in any conversation about how steel has changed over the years, I received many comments from those who believe that an explosion in New Mexico changed our steel forever, rendering any tools made after July 16, 1945 inferior to older, pre-WWII versions.
It is a common belief that radiation has tainted the world’s steel. Irradiated steel might be ideal for making radiators, but not for knives, chisels, and other edged tools. If you believe this, you’ve fallen for one of the most common myths on the internet. Pre-atomic purity simply does not exist as far as the quality of tool steel is concerned.
Now, before you want to argue—as I know some of you will—hear me out…
The Origin of the Myth
When the atomic age began with the first above-ground nuclear test in the summer of 1945, radioactive isotopes were released into the atmosphere and eventually spread globally. Everything was covered in these microscopic particles. Now you might wonder how this fallout would affect future steel without also tainting existing steel.
The argument is that during the manufacturing of new steel—particularly when using the Bessemer process—open air, with all those radioactive isotopes, is blown into the molten metal. It’s not a matter of radiation seeping into steel from the outside; it’s literally injected in and mixed throughout, like poison in a cake batter.
But before you start looking for 100-year-old cakes, consider background radiation.
What Is Background Radiation?
Background radiation describes the amount of radioactive isotopes that already existed in the atmosphere before the first atomic test. It includes billions of years’ worth of cosmic rays striking the planet, all the radioactive elements that are naturally present in soil and rock, and the trace isotopes that have always existed in every living thing.
Together, these contribute to a background radiation—a baseline level that has always existed on this planet.
Even during the peak years of nuclear testing in the 1960s, there was an increase over this natural baseline of only about 6 percent, and those levels quickly dropped after the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. Today, the man-made increase over background levels is almost 95 percent gone, and it has been for decades.
Why Modern Steel Isn’t the Problem
Radiation has always existed in steel, but the increased radiation found in modern steel from the atomic age is barely measurable—nowhere near enough to change its tool-making properties. And that’s not the only reason this is a myth.
While the Bessemer process did blow unfiltered atmospheric air into steel, that process was mostly ending before the atomic age began. By WWII, steelmakers were largely using closed systems with pure oxygen, free from the radioactive isotopes and other impurities found in open air. Since then, even more advanced techniques don’t use air at all.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is this: atomic testing may have added trace amounts of radiation to the atmosphere, and some of it may have made its way into some steel—but unless you’re making sophisticated scientific equipment, it’s a non-issue. The amounts are so negligible that they have no effect whatsoever on the quality of our tools.
On the other hand, since WWII there have been huge leaps in the quality of tool steel through better manufacturing, the development of high-tech alloys, modern heat treatments, and even cryogenics. We live in a golden age of toolmaking.
Happy woodworking!
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may receive a small commission.
Need some cool tools for your shop? Browse my Amazon Storefront for inspiration.
