</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">Originally posted by Jeff the marmot:
<strong>I don't know. But I have another question - do they normally show the evidence of a lot of heat on the outside (like it's been torched)?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">I know the solid axle Birfields look like that, probably a result of the heat treating they undergo. They are heat treated to increase hardness for longer wear. However that tends to make the steel more brittle. The new "Longfields" are re-heat treaded to make them softer but less brittle.