[TheForge] Quenching mild steel

Fri Sep 5 00:16:00 2003

Shannel:  Note that I said cool vs. quench.  For most simple carbon steels,
the critical temps run between 1500 and 1600 F.  If you want to avoid
hardening at all, let it air cool to the point no color is visible, then
cool in water.  I have not noted that mild steel becomes difficult to work
when quenched from orange per se, but it is likely that it was not at
critical temp when this happened.  1018 and 1020 are said to harden to some
degree, but not to the level of steels of 40 pts. carbon and up.  Grant
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "shannell Sugrue" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2003 6:42 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Quenching mild steel


> Well I have to disagree there, any mild steel becomes very hard to drill
if
> quenched from orange and very hard to bend also, even in my flypress. My
> main question here was what is the cut off point that these properties
> remain unnoticably changed in degrees C or F.
>
>
>
> > Shannel:  You should be able to cool mild steel with a water dip without
> > changing the working characteristics to any noticeable degree.  I always
> let
> > mild steels air cool unless I need to hand-hold on a previously heated
and
> > worked section.  I see no need to quench/cool such material otherwise.
> Any
> > radical cooling induces stresses
> >
>
>
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