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"Softening" steel
- Thread starter NCOjohn
- Start date
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Guest
I keep a bucket of sand for this purpose.
By cool slowly we mean leaving the metal covered and waiting for about two hours until it is cool to the touch. I have seen 10-12" files take half a day to cool. Just be patient you need it dead soft.
By cool slowly we mean leaving the metal covered and waiting for about two hours until it is cool to the touch. I have seen 10-12" files take half a day to cool. Just be patient you need it dead soft.
Guest
John, the only thing I would add is rather than "cherry red" which is somewhat ambiguous (your cherry red isn't necessarily mine), heat it until a magnet will no longer stick. I use one of those extending magnets for retrieving dropped parts. When the magnet no longer sticks, plunge the frizzen in your pail of ash. I usually leave it over night.
Cody
Cody
Good thought Cody. I would add that anhydrous lime is the best medium for annealing parts. A close second is hardwood ashes. Sand comes in last.
When annealing parts, It's best to preheat the lime/ashes/sand by plunging a red hot bar into the meduim. I sometimes place two red hot bars an inch, or two apart and place the part to be annealed between those two bars, and cover with at least six inches of lime/ash/ and a little deeper in sand.
The part should cool for about 24 hours to properly anneal. Anything less will soften the part, somewhat, but not give a full anneal.
J.D.
When annealing parts, It's best to preheat the lime/ashes/sand by plunging a red hot bar into the meduim. I sometimes place two red hot bars an inch, or two apart and place the part to be annealed between those two bars, and cover with at least six inches of lime/ash/ and a little deeper in sand.
The part should cool for about 24 hours to properly anneal. Anything less will soften the part, somewhat, but not give a full anneal.
J.D.
I use a propane torch with MAPPS gas and a coffee can full of cat litter to soften hardened steel parts. Heat up the part reall hot (bright red) and stick it in the kitty litter.
Forgot to add: don't get the kitty litter from a used cat box....yuck! :grin:
Forgot to add: don't get the kitty litter from a used cat box....yuck! :grin:
Forgot to add: don't get the kitty litter from a used cat box....yuck!
_______________________________________
The State of California has determined the fumes given off by used Cat Litter, when heated above 1000 degrees may be Carcinogenic to mice and rats.
Use at your own risk.
Especially if your wifes cat pees on the couch because you were fooling around with its' cat box.
:rotf: :rotr: :grin:
_______________________________________
The State of California has determined the fumes given off by used Cat Litter, when heated above 1000 degrees may be Carcinogenic to mice and rats.
Use at your own risk.
Especially if your wifes cat pees on the couch because you were fooling around with its' cat box.
:rotf: :rotr: :grin:
Thank you fellows for all the help. I went with
clay kitty litter(tough to find anymore!)Though
I live 15 minutes from the beach I decided that the sand this time of year would be dodgy moisture wise. When I heated the frizzen it went
past cherry to orange red PDQ!(MAPP gas) Since I wasn't oil chwenching like I do when hardening outdoors I did it in the basement. The frizzen is now resting comfortably in a deep load of kitty stuff in my stainless camp kettle. I'll let you know how it all turns out. john
clay kitty litter(tough to find anymore!)Though
I live 15 minutes from the beach I decided that the sand this time of year would be dodgy moisture wise. When I heated the frizzen it went
past cherry to orange red PDQ!(MAPP gas) Since I wasn't oil chwenching like I do when hardening outdoors I did it in the basement. The frizzen is now resting comfortably in a deep load of kitty stuff in my stainless camp kettle. I'll let you know how it all turns out. john
