Well, I'm not looking to bicker, we could argue it all the way down to dead stars littering our solar system with elements, but that would take a while to get to. I guess my point being, heat treating is an art to me more than science. The science of it is simple, the art of it is complex. As a knife-maker, a young knife-maker, that bit of it is important to me and what I am creating.
Not to say I wouldn't be giddy as **** if Kramer wanted to heat treat one of my knives. There is value to his method and to his art. If a steel mill wants to heat treat my knives, I'd be flattered, but have to decline.
But again, that's just like, my opinion man. I'll respect yours if you can respect mine. There's something wonderful about doing it all yourself, whether it's fixing your car, making your own BBQ sauce from scratch, or brewing your own beer. But then again, there's also joy in lasers and machines, if there wasn't there'd be no joy in the Terminator Franchise.